Djokovic Beats Sinner to Set Up Alcaraz Final at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Jan 30 to reach the Australian Open final. The Serb will seek a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and standalone 25th Grand Slam trophy when he faces Carlos Alcaraz on Feb 1. Alcaraz, meanwhile, said he did not think he had cramp initially when he took a medical timeout that left Alexander Zverev fuming in their marathon semi-final. The world No. 1 fought through 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5 over a monumental 5hrs 27 mins to send the German third seed home. There was controversy when Alcaraz pulled up in pain clutching his right thigh at 4-4 in the third set. He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials. Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping. “What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision,” said Zverev. The recommendations included proposals on sustaining economic growth at the higher end of the 2 per cent to 3 per cent average over the next 10 years. Alcaraz, who continued after treatment with his movement limited, said that it was the physio who called for the medical timeout. “In the beginning when it was on a specific just one muscle, I didn’t think it was cramp at all,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly what it was because I just go around to a forehand and then I started to feel it just in the right adductor, so that’s why I just called the physio because in that moment, the left leg was good. “In that moment I just talk to the physio. I said, okay, I just went to run to the forehand side, and I started to feel like the right adductor. He decided to take the medical timeout, and he did it.”
