Novak Djokovic’s path to the 2026 Australian Open semifinal saw plenty of interesting twists and turns. And now, one walkover and lucky retirement later, Djokovic is back in the mix for that 25th Grand Slam title. However, during the press conference, the questions quickly shifted from his escape victory over Lorenzo Musetti to a more controversial question about his career.

When a reporter suggested that Djokovic was chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal early in his career and is now chasing Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, it didn’t sit too well with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? In which sense?” inquired Djokovic pointedly. “So I’m always the chaser and never being chased?”

“Well, 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,” he added.

“So I think it’s important to put that in prospect, in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest.”

Djokovic won his 24th and, as of now, last Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3. Since then, many have wondered when number 25 might happen.

However, for the 38-year-old, who is almost at the end of his career, he isn’t bothered about winning another Grand Slam buta about enjoying the time he has playing tennis.

“You know, Roger and Rafa will always be my greatest rivals,” he said. “I have tremendous respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing, and they continue to do, and they will do for the next 10 to 15, 20 years. God knows how many years they’re going to play. They’re so young, and this is a kind of a natural cycle in sports.”

Confirming this narrative as the “natural cycle in sports,” Djokovic mentioned that he will be cheering for them and even a “third guy” because “I’ve always been the third guy at the beginning.”

“As I said, I don’t feel like I’m chasing. I’m creating my own history. And I think I’ve been very clear when I say that my intention is always to, in terms of achievements and objectives and results, I want to get to the championship match in every tournament, particularly slams,” he said.

And those slams are one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing and playing tennis.”

The 38-year-old didn’t shy away from acknowledging that Sinner, Alcaraz, and others on the court are currently far better players than him, but he isn’t backing off from any challenge. “No. I’m going to fight until the last shot, the last point, and do my very best to challenge them,” he said.

And that’s exactly what he’ll aim to do in the semifinal, after Lorenzo Musetti’s inopportune retirement handed him a lifeline in a match he looked otherwise set to lose, being 2 sets down to none.

Novak Djokovic to face a determined Jannik Sinner

At the 2026 Australian Open, Jannik Sinner has just lost a single set in the entire tournament, and he is ready to face Novak Djokovic in the semifinal after his win over Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Looking at their head-to-head record, the Italian has six wins, compared to Djokovic’s four. However, the timelines of their victories against each other reveal a player who has transitioned from a rising star to a proven one and another who has experienced enough glory to be nearing the end of his career.

In 2021, they first met at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo, where the Serbian secured the win. However, Sinner’s first victory against Djokovic came in the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.

The two have also found each other at the Australian Open in 2024. The hard-court battle saw Sinner win but not with a proper fight from Djokovic, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2).

Recently, the Italian opened up about his competitor, saying, “In the past, I had great lessons that it doesn’t really matter the results, it improves you as a player, and we are lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis with his age.”

So, against Djokovic, Sinner is on a five-win streak, and only time will tell if the Aussie crowd will watch yet another Sincaraz final (only if Carlos Alcaraz wins against Alexander Zverev) or if they will be able to witness the Serbian take a shot in the Grand Slam final for that 25th title.