Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | Semi-Final
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Novak Djokovic faces Jannik Sinner at the 2026 Australian Open.
Start date/time:
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner ticket information
Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner prediction
Novak Djokovic will need to snap a five-match losing streak against Jannik Sinner if he is to upset the two-time defending champion and reach an 11th final at the Australian Open.
The Serbian trails 6-4 in his head-to-head with the Italian and has only won one of their past seven encounters.
The last set the 38-year-old took off the world number two was at this tournament two years ago when Sinner roared to a 6-1 6-2 6-7 6-3 victory en route to his first title in Melbourne.
That success was also part of Jannik’s current 19-match winning run at the first major of the year and is perhaps a telling sign of the uphill task now facing Djokovic.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has spoken of the need to be efficient in earlier rounds if he’s to be fresh enough to challenge the likes of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the latter stages of tournaments, so this will now put that theory to the acid test.
Djokovic eased through the first few rounds and was handed a walkover when the injured Jakub Mensik withdrew ahead of their round of 16 clash.
The fourth seed was then two sets down to Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian had to retire with a leg issue in their quarter-final on Wednesday, so he is perhaps very fortunate to be in the last four - but the key pointer may well be that he only spent two hours and eight minutes on court.
Of course, the 10-time champion may have the energy levels he desires but he will also need to find a couple of extra gears as he was out-of-sorts and rather error strewn in the showdown with Musetti, leaking 31 unforced errors and firing 19 winners in those first two sets.
Sinner’s hardcourt prowess, the age difference and dominance in recent years suggests there will surely only be one outcome here, but there still remain a few question marks over how fit he is following his cramping issues in the third round.
If Djokovic can make it a physical epic, he’s proved in the past that he can defy time with ageless performances that belie his years.
Ending Sinner’s bid for a Melbourne Park Threepeat would be right up there with one his great Grand Slam victories, but it feels like his luck may finally run out this time around and he will do well to win a set if Jannik is full fit.
Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner tip: Jannik Sinner to win 3-0
