Kamal Ghorui
Novak Djokovic does not lack motivation at this stage of his career, but on the eve of another Australian Open semifinal, the most successful men’s singles player in tennis history found fresh fuel — and it came from a question he felt crossed the line.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion and 10-time winner at Melbourne Park, bristled when asked whether he was now “chasing” younger rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have combined to block him from winning a major over the last two seasons. The Serb paused, visibly processing the question, before responding sharply.“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? In which sense?” Djokovic said, before pushing back at the premise. “So I’m always the chaser, and I’m never being chased? I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now that I’m chasing Carlos and Jannik, and there’s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams.”Djokovic stressed the need for perspective. “It’s important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest. I’m creating my own history.”WATCH: Djokovic fires back at journalistThe 38-year-old now stands two wins away from a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title, even if his path to the semifinals has been unconventional. Djokovic admitted he was “lucky this time” after fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired injured while leading their quarterfinal, following a fourth-round walkover. Statistically, he hasn’t completed a set since the third round, but Djokovic remains firmly in contention.Standing across the net will be world No. 2 Sinner, who is on a 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park and leads their head-to-head 6-4, including victories in their last five meetings. The Italian, who beat Djokovic in the semifinals here two years ago en route to his maiden Slam, was full of respect.“It improves you as a player and a person,” Sinner said. “We’re still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age. I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes… every time he plays, I can learn something about him.”
