The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and the Russian Karen Khachanov will open the fire in the afternoon session at the Rod Laver Arena, which at night will host the other semifinal between the Serbian Novak Djokovic and the American Tommy Paul.
And who can stop Djokovic? With masterful tennis and no discomfort in his left leg, the Serb is only two victories away from the record of 22 Grand Slams held by Spanish Rafael Nadal. And few in Melbourne doubt that he will succeed.
The precedents are with him: whenever he has reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, he has ended up taking the trophy. In addition, the Serbian has not known defeat in Melbourne since 2018, a record of 26 unbeaten matches that he shares with Andre Agassi.
“I hope it stays the same,” Djokovic said after defeating Russian Andrey Rublev with authority in the quarterfinals. But only the three remaining tennis players can prevent it. In addition, the Serbian exudes confidence: “I’ve been playing better and better. I couldn’t ask to be in a better situation right now.”
Tsitsipas “ever closer”
The Greek Tsitsipas, the main seed alive in the tournament, is presented as the most threatening rival for Djokovic, although he already came back two sets against him in the Roland Garros final in 2021.
“I wanted to congratulate him because he seems ready to go for the title and the way he is playing, he is getting closer,” Djokovic said of the Greek days ago.
Still not having dropped a set in Melbourne this year and after losing three semifinals, Tsitsipas is looking for his first final in this tournament where he says he feels “at home”.
Could this be your year? They asked him after his quarterfinal match. “I feel great in my tennis. I don’t think I’ve felt this good in a long time. So I would definitely say yes.”