Novak Djokovic there will be this Sunday (09:30 hours/Eurosport, Mundo Deportivo Web Live) instead a final with a different tone than usual. The Serbian, ten-time champions, are not there, but they are not playing either Roger Federer (6 titles) o Rafael Nadalthe best of 2009 and 2022. You have to go back to 2005 to see that the Russian Marat Safin the Australian lost Lleyton Hewittlook at the last ten years to see that it is the Swiss Stan Wawrinka who lifted the trophy, ahead of a back-injured Nadal.
Everything else, for this long, is the ‘Big 3’. Between Djokovic and Nadal, still active, they have won 18 of the last 22 Grand Slams, which is the exception to the rule. Dominic Thiem (US Open 2020), Daniel Medvedev (US Open 2021) and Carlos Alcaraz (US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023).
The situation is strange, especially the absence of Novak Djokovic, who went on an unbeaten streak of 33 games. No wonder succession is a question between Jannik Sinner and Daniel Medvedev.
The Italian, 22 years old and world No. 4, has long warned to make a step in quality that leads him to fight for the best tournaments. Davis Cup hero, he will be the first tennis player from his country to play in the final in Melbourne. Even if he wants to be a third champion, like Nicola Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta at Roland Garros. That’s why he hardly celebrated the feat of dethroning in the semis Novak Djokovic. “It means a lot, but it’s not over yet,” he said, convinced that only partial honors are worthless.
He only dropped one set, the third against ‘Nole’, at 5-2, one match point. He eliminated six rivals in 14h.44′ of play, comfortably done. It took more time, 20h33′, the unpredictable Daniel Medvedev27 years old and No. 3. There is nothing normal about the Russian, even his comebacks from two sets down, like the match Emil Rusuvori and Alexander Zverev.
He passed No.1, he will take No.2 from Alcaraz if he wins today. He is heavy in the shadow. His sixth Grand Slam final, he won the 2021 US Open, in Australia he was the victim, of course, of Djokovic (2021) and Nadal (2022).
“Now I have more confidence in myself than when the tournament started. “I realized I could do things I didn’t think were possible,” he said of whether the physical deterioration would work against him.
Medvedev It gives the feeling of being able to play on the verge of collapse. Sinner shows signs of impressive tennis, in the absence of facing the tension of a first ‘big’ final.
The antecedents between them reflect the rise of the transalpine, which in six games has not found a remedy against Medvedev, between 2020 and Miami in 2023. He changed last fall, when he won the finals in Beijing (7-6, 7-6) and Vienna (7-6, 4-6, 6-3), as well as in ‘ semi-finals of the ATP Finals (6-3, 6-7, 6-1).
Source: La Verdad
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