ATP Tour
Djokovic: ‘I want to thank all the doubters’
Serbian ends five-game losing streak against Sinner, locks in Australian Open final against Alcaraz
January 30, 2026
William West/AFP/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic celebrated his 38th Grand Slam final on Friday.
Written by ATP Staff
Discount Novak Djokovic at your own risk.
Just as Yannik Sinner was on track to reach a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, the ageless Serbian made his comeback in years to earn a shot at a 25th Grand Slam title.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” said the ten-time Australian Open champion, who will face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final at Melbourne Park. “There are a lot of people who doubt me. A lot of experts want me to retire, or have done so many times over the past few years.
“I want to thank all of them because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, and I had that motivation tonight. To be honest, to me, it’s not surprising.”
Djokovic fought back from two sets to one down to end a five-match losing streak against two-time defending champion Sinner and win 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling four-hour, nine-minute match that ended at 1:30 a.m.
Djokovic said he would not train on Saturday but took advantage of his good fortune to reach the semifinals. In the fourth round he was defeated by Miami Open final conqueror Jakub Mensik; in the quarter-finals he trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets before the Italian withdrew due to an injury to his right leg.
But against Sinner, who is 14 years his junior, Djokovic’s resilience, belief and courage laid the foundation for a well-deserved victory as he saved 16 of 18 break points, including all eight in the decider.
“I think it’s the best [win] The best performance of the last few years,” Djokovic said. “Certainly one of the best performances of the last decade or so…
“I was lucky, obviously Lorenzo got injured in that fight and retired. Two days later, obviously a different opponent. I knew exactly what to expect and had a very clear strategy and game plan and what needed to be executed.
“One thing is visualizing how you want to play and the other thing is delivering and executing it on the pitch against Sinner, which we all know is an extremely high level of competition.
“I’m just happy to be able to experience something like this tonight.”
The victory was Djokovic’s first five-set match since the 2024 French Open, when he defeated Francisco Cerundolo.
Djokovic has not lifted any major trophy since the 2023 U.S. Open, watching Alcaraz and Sinner split eight majors over the past two years.
On Sunday, Djokovic attempted to become the oldest Australian Open champion, while 22-year-old Alcaraz sought to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
Djokovic holds a 5-4 lead over Alcaraz in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, winning three of four hard-court matches. But as Alcaraz recorded his only hard-court victory in the 2025 US Open semifinals, Djokovic was candid about his doubts about his ability to beat the Spaniard and Sinner in five sets at a major. He will now have the chance to prove himself wrong in back-to-back games, which will be one of the most remarkable feats of his unparalleled career.
“Every time we play, we both face a historical danger,” said Djokovic, who has a record 424 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in his career… My preparation was good and I beat him here last year. [in the quarter-finals]also in a tough game. let’s see. Let’s see how fresh we both can be.
“He also had a big game, but he’s 15, 16 years younger than me. You know, biologically, I think he’s going to have an easier recovery.”
“I just wanted to enjoy the moment I had tonight. I’ll think about the final later, but for me it’s almost equal to winning a Grand Slam.”
