Jannik Sinner (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner offered a gracious assessment of his Australian Open campaign after falling to Novak Djokovic in a gripping five-set semi-final on Friday, thanking fans for their backing and saluting the Serbian’s run to the final. Sinner endured a painful defeat at Rod Laver Arena, having edged ahead two sets to one before being unable to close out the contest. The disappointment was evident in his immediate reaction, with the Italian admitting the loss hurt him “a lot”. Arriving in Melbourne with ambitions of a third straight Australian Open crown, Sinner had also enjoyed recent success against Djokovic, beating him in their previous five meetings. But on this occasion, the second seed was left to rue missed chances, managing to convert just two of 18 break points against the 38-year-old.

Jannik Sinner post

“Not my day, but I gave everything. Congrats to @DjokerNole, it’s always an honour to share the court with you. Thanks to everyone for all the support over the last two weeks. The work continues. See you soon again,” Sinner posted on X after the match. Sunday’s final will be the first men’s Grand Slam title match since Wimbledon 2024 not to feature Sinner, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Djokovic at the All England Club. Despite the setback, the 24-year-old was generous in his praise of Djokovic and insisted the Serbian’s performance came as no surprise. “He’s won 24 Grand Slams. We know each other very well, how we play. I always said, [you can not be] surprised, because I feel like he’s the greatest player for many, many years. Of course, he’s playing less tournaments because of his age and everything, but we also know how important Grand Slams are for me, for him, for Carlos, and everyone. There is this small extra motivation, and he played great tennis. Hopefully I can take it as kind of a lesson maybe to see what I can improve on,” Sinner said during his on-court interview on Friday.