2 Responses to ao24_Sinner_Đoković

1. Voo de Mar says:

   February 1, 2024 at 3:17 pm

   Points won by each set: | 28-15, 28-17, 40-40, 32-26 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   32 % Sinner – 36 of 110
   18 % Djokovic – 122 of 116

   [4] Sinner snapped [1] Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak at the Aussie Open, and he did it in really impressive style, not facing a break point in the 3-hour 22-minute semifinal (just two games went to ‘deuce’ on his serve)! The 36-year-old Serb, ten-time champion in Melbourne, was pretty hopeless in the opening two sets. There were only a few players better than him in backhand vs backhand exchanges (Safin, Nalbandian, Nishikori) thus far; facing Sinner, he cannot count on free points during those rallies, on top of that the Italian has considerably improved his serve in the past year as well as volleys and backhand slice, thus the disoriented Serb playing against the 14 years younger version of himself, became an error machine. In the 3rd set he began to serve better, withstood a break point in the opening game, and spectators finally saw a longer period of mutually good play. At 5-all (deuce) someone fainted in the stands, the match was paused for a few minutes, and it helped the older champion to regulate his breathing. In the tie-break he played a perfect FH lob at 4:5* and saved a match point with a six-stroke rally. Sinner led 2:1* (0/40) in the 4th set when he responded to Djokovic’s dropshot with a cross-court dropshot; seemingly an irrelevant point, but it turned to be crucial. The Italian won five points in a row, broke, and held to the end, converting his first match point with a forehand down the line winner. Sinner has defeated Djokovic 3 times in their 4 matches of the past three months.

   Serve & volley: Sinner 2/2, Djokovic 0
   Average 1st serve speed: Sinner 198 kph, Djokovic 192 kph

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   February 1, 2024 at 6:09 pm

   Sinner‘s three wins with MP-up sets lost:

   Rome ’20 (2R): Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-7(9), 6-2
   Wimbledon ’22 (4R): Alcaraz 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3
   Aussie Open ’24 (SF): Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3

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