Novak Djokovic

With his father choosing not to attend Rod Laver Arena, Novak Djokovic wins his semifinal in straight sets to book a berth in Sunday night's tournament ...

Paul got on the board in the third by holding serve in the fifth game, however Djokovic could not be stopped on his way to securing a straight-sets win. The third set was one-way traffic, with Djokovic snaring a double-break as he leapt out to a 4-0 advantage. The chant resumed after Djokovic broke Paul's serve in the next game to claim the first set, with the former world number one pumping his left fist in the air as if he was conducting the crowd's response. Djokovic was able to stem the tide in the 11th game when he held, as his fans chanted his nickname 'Nole' around the centre-court stadium. It was during the seventh game — when he had a set point — that Djokovic let his emotions boil over after he got involved in a dispute with chair umpire Damien Dumusois over his use of a towel between points. Djokovic appeared nervous in the opening game of the first set, as Paul twice had a break point on his opponent's serve.

Novak Djokovic will look to his experience as a nine-time Australian Open champion when he meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final in Melbourne.

“[A] personal reason is that I feel on the tennis court I always have an opportunity to learn something new about myself [and] fight with my own demons, that I guess we all have,” said Djokovic. Tying Nadal in the Grand Slam titles race with victory in Melbourne would set Djokovic up to push for more historic achievements in 2023. Yet he will take nothing for granted in the knowledge that the 24-year-old third seed has more than enough incentive to bring his best to [Rod Laver](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rod-laver/l058/overview) Arena. “When we're on the tennis court in the midst of a battle, some of the things surface, and I have to deal with it. Then [it] was quite smooth sailing, I would say, from the beginning of the second towards the end of the match. The Serbian led 5-1, 40/30 but allowed the American back into the set at 5-5, before Djokovic regained his composure just in time to clinch a set in which he hit 24 unforced errors. He could equal [Rafael Nadal](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview)’s record of 22 Grand Slam crowns with victory over Tsitsipas, while whichever player wins is also set to claim the No. “Of course, still the job needs to be done on the court,” said Djokovic, who has won his past nine tour-level meetings against the Greek. “I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. I'm really glad to overcome that crisis towards the end of the first set. “I'm of course very satisfied and pleased to be in another Grand Slam final,” said Djokovic after riding out his rough patch to reach his 10th championship match at the hard-court major. “I know his game pretty well.

The 35-year-old is scything his way through the Australian Open in a haze of righteous fury after being deported a year ago.

He remains, for example, a disciple of the wellness guru Chervin Jafarieh, who has a podcast with the amazingly terrible/brilliant name Wake The Fake Up, who starts each day with an hour and a half of trampolining followed by a mouthful of “longevity mushrooms”, and who basically wants to sell you his wellness products via Novak’s Instagram page. Is this all forbidden fruit, a tennis version of the good bits with the devil in Paradise Lost that you’re not supposed to enjoy? Is it wrong, is it weak, is it politically suspect to appreciate the dark pleasure in this revenger’s story, the extraordinary dramatic arc? Now, a year on, we have this, a 35-year-old scything his way through the tournament in a haze of righteous fury. By the end Djokovic was playing at something close to his most irresistible pitch, a level of intensity and precision where the opponent basically becomes irrelevant, an ominous prospect for Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday afternoon. And yet aged 35 he is now on the verge of completing one of the most mind-bogglingly cinematic narrative arcs in sporting history.

Novak Djokovic will compete for his 10th Australian Open title on Sunday after a near-flawless performance against American Tommy Paul at Rod Laver Arena on ...

Djokovic confronted the chair umpire in frustration, breaking his laser-sharp focus, the resultant lapse in concentration of which Paul pounced on. “No, of course, you’re not as fresh as at the beginning of the tournament, that’s for sure. But this year, with his lack of confidence in his movement and his defensive capabilities, he’s gone bigger. “It’s great. “The last time he won here - last time he played here - two years ago, the forehand, the backhand, they were every bit as good as he needed (though not as fast). Tsitsipas is searching for his first grand slam title, while Djokovic will be hunting a record-equaling 22nd major title.

'It has got to me': Djokovic's admission as dad 'misused' by pro-Russia protesters.

I just don’t think there’s going to be any conflict on and off the court in terms of the crowd. “My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace. He was misused in this situation by this group of people. “He was passing through, made a photo, it has escalated. “It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened yesterday has escalated to such a high level. Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. But it is what it is. That’s what he thought. I was not aware of it till last night. We know how devastating that is for the family, for people in any country that is going through the war.

Djokovic's father Srdjan was unwittingly recorded on Wednesday night while posing for photographs with pro-Vladimir Putin activists outside Rod Laver Arena ...

“I hope to have him. “He was passing through, made a photo, it has escalated. Unfortunately, some of the media have interpreted that in a really wrong way. He was misused in this situation by this group of people. He went out to celebrate with my fans, and that’s it. In a statement on Friday Srdjan made no reference to what he says on the video. “My father, my whole family and myself have been through several wars during the ’90s. The invasion has gone on for almost 12 months and thousands of civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that. It has got to me, of course, as well. Serbian journalists and now Novak Djokovic have since said the translation was wrong. He appeared to say: “long live the Russians”, igniting a firestorm of international media coverage.

Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic defends his father, after he was filmed standing with a group displaying a banned Russian flag that was ...

I hope to have him. It has got to me, of course, as well." [We] just didn't know how things will play out, I guess. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. He moved on." That's what he thought.

Novak Djokovic has defended his dad after he was captured posing for photographs with Vladimir Putin suppor...

"I hope to have him. You accept it and you move on." "The second thing I want to say ... "He was passing through, made a photo, it has escalated. Unfortunately, some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way." The whole media pressure and everything that has happened in the last 24 hours, 48 hours... "It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened ... He was misused in this situation by this group of people. "It can happen. We know how devastating that is for the family, for people in any country that is going through the war. I was not aware of it 'til (Thursday night). As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war.