Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning his semi final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Edgar Su
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Jannik Sinner said his subdued celebrations of his stunning victory over Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday were a result of him knowing that the job was not done yet.
The Italian certainly had plenty to celebrate, having handed the 24-times Grand Slam champion his first defeat in 11 Melbourne Park semi-finals and snapped the Serbian's 33-match winning streak at the tournament.
Sinner, however, already had his eyes on the bigger prize - the possibility that he might land his first Grand Slam title on Sunday.
"I feel these kind of emotions you cannot control. If someone celebrates in one way, you celebrate because this is the emotion what you are feeling now, no?" the fourth seed said.
"Obviously it means so much to me to beat Novak here in Melbourne, but in the other way, I know that the tournament is not over.
"Sunday is a final. It's different emotions, because the final is always different. In my mind today I knew it was semi-final. It's not that you win the tournament like this.
"So I'm looking forward to Sunday, and let's see what's
coming."
Sinner's victory was all the more remarkable for the fact that he faced not a single break point against one of the greatest, if not the greatest, serve returner the game has known.
The 22-year-old said he had learned so much from watching and playing against Djokovic and echoed the Serbian's view that he was not in peak form.
"For sure the first two sets I saw that he was not hitting the ball as he used to," Sinner said.
"He was also not moving that well, and then I think he was also not that focused like we are used to seeing him."
Sinner said that although he was naturally very keen to win his first major title against Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev on Sunday, he did not feel under any great pressure.
"I'm really relaxed, to be honest," he said. "I just try to work as hard as possible and in my mind I feel like that hard work always pays off in one way.
"If this can happen, it's good. If not, I gave 100%, and the rest I cannot control."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Christian Radnedge)
