Sinner admitted his greatest regret after a heavy defeat to Djokovic: "It really hurts."

As fans anticipated the inaugural showdown between Alcaraz and Sinner at the Australian Open, Djokovic had other ideas. Approaching his 39th birthday by four months, the 38-year-old veteran put on a legendary display, enduring a 4 hour and 9 minute epic to overcome the two-time defending champion 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, securing a spot in his 11th Australian Open men’s singles final. Undoubtedly, this loss was a heavy blow to Sinner.

In the post-match press conference, when asked how painful the loss was, the Italian did not hide his feelings. "Yes, it hurts a lot," he admitted. "This was a very important Grand Slam for me. Given the circumstances, it was a possible outcome. It was a match where both of us played very well, and I had chances but couldn’t capitalize, so this is the result. So of course, it’s painful."

Before the match, Sinner came in riding a five-match winning streak against Djokovic and posted impressive stats over more than four hours. He hit 72 winners and served 26 aces, a personal career high. Despite this, it wasn’t enough, and as his Australian Open run ended, his frustration was clearly visible.

Later, when asked when he began to feel the match slipping away and Djokovic gaining the upper hand, Sinner didn’t point to a specific moment. "Honestly, there wasn’t a single moment," he said. "I had my chances. It was in the fifth set with many break points, but I couldn’t convert them. He played some incredible shots."

For those who missed the match, Djokovic was under immense pressure throughout. He faced 18 break points and miraculously saved 16 of them. In the early stages of the deciding set, he survived two tough service games, using clutch serving and relentless offense to fend off all 8 break points created by Sinner.

Reflecting on the match, Sinner admitted some of his decisions didn’t pay off. "Sometimes I tried different things, but today they didn’t work," he said. "That’s tennis. Both of us are very high-level players, and this match was like a roller coaster, with the outcome decided today."

Clearly, Friday night’s loss stung Sinner on many levels. It not only ended his hopes of becoming the fourth man in Australian Open history to win three consecutive singles titles and the first since the opponent who stopped him, but it also snapped his 19-match winning streak in Melbourne. Missing out on joining this elite group made the defeat even harder to accept.

When asked if he was surprised by Novak’s level today, given how well he played, Sinner responded quickly and frankly. "You know he has 24 Grand Slam titles, we know each other very well, and we understand each other’s games. I’m not surprised," he said directly.

Sunday will mark the first time since Wimbledon 2024 that Sinner misses a Grand Slam final — that time, he also lost to Djokovic. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old accepted the defeat with composure, praising Djokovic and acknowledging that the Serbian’s level was not unexpected.

Sinner further explained why Djokovic’s performance didn’t catch him off guard. He called Novak one of the greatest players of all time and noted that although Djokovic plays fewer tournaments due to his age, Grand Slam events always bring out extra energy in him.

“We all know how important Grand Slams are for me, him, Carlos, and everyone,” Sinner said. “That extra motivation is always there. He played great tennis, and I hope I can learn from this match to see where I can improve.”

When asked what was different about Djokovic compared to their recent encounters, Sinner replied calmly. "Every match is different," he said. "You can’t really compare. The French Open is different, Wimbledon is different, and here it’s another situation. You really can’t compare."

Even though Sinner exited in the Australian Open semifinals, his ranking remained the same as when he arrived—world number two. So overall, how would you evaluate Sinner’s performance at this Australian Open?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)