Australian Open: Men’s Semi-finals preview

The Australian Open is reaching its climax with the competition reaching the semi-finals stage. In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic, the most successful player in the tournament, will be hoping to extend Grand Slam titles to 25. But he will have to fight with the young guns who are hungry to make a name for themselves. So, all remaining matches will leave fans asking for more.

Novak Djokovic v Jannik Sinner

Before the start of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic was the clear favorite to successfully defend the title he won last year. After dominant season last year, where he reached all four Grand Slams finals winning three and losing one to Carlos Alcaraz during the Wimbledon Open. Then he was tipped to continue to where he left off. At the age of 36, Djokovic is aging fine and is showing no sign of stopping. He is preparing to face Jannik Sinner on Friday for a place in the Australian Open finals. In Melbourne Park, the Serb has a wonderful track record winning 10 titles. He is another human being when he enters the court there.

Before the tournament resumed, there were talks that he is carrying a wrist injury, but he has indicated no signs of struggling as yet. Only in the Quarter-final match against Taylor Fritz where he was made to fight. It was kinda unusual as he held 9-0 head-to-head against Fritz. This is an opponent that doesn’t give Djokovic a single problem, but it was another different story. But the good thing, he held his nerves to progress to the next round. With 24 Grand Slams on his name, Djokovic will be in the flying mood to add another one. He has to go through the difficult test of Sinner, an opponent he faced twice at the end of last year. In those matches, they share a victory apiece. In Wimbledon last year, Djokovic put out an imperious performance to outclass the opponent in the semi-finals stage. But the history will be put aside as both players will chase for victory.

To say Sinner doesn’t deserve to be given a benefit of a doubt to progress to the next round would be a big lie. The 22-year-old Italian has been in excellent form since the start of the tournament. He is the only player in the men’s draw that is yet to drop a set so far. All the opponents he has faced have been given a beating that is so hard to forget. Since he made a breakthrough into the tennis scene in 2020, Sinner has been treated by many as a special talent. The way he is playing at the moment, many would feel his time has finally arrived. One thing on his mind is that he is facing a tough opponent that is unshaken when playing in Melbourne.

To defeat Djokovic will require Sinner to put an A- Game and become more clinical like he has done so far. A victory against Djokovic will bring him closer to securing an elusive Grand Slam title and being etched into the history books.

Value Bet: Novak Djokovic to win in five sets at 5.00

Alexander Zverev v Danil Medvedev

The second semi-final clash will see Alexander Zverev entertain Danil Medvedev for the chance to book a passage to the final. Zverev seems to have discovered his old form in Australia. The 26-year-old German International had struggled to make an impact, especially on the hard-court surface. He usually excels much on clay surfaces. But he has special memories in Australia, the first time he reached the Grand Slam semi-finals was at the Rod Laver Arena back in 2020. It has taken him four years to equal that best performance. During that time, he reached the last four dropping only one set and defeating Stan Wawrinka on that en route.

Even now, he has pulled a big victory to upset sensational Carlos Alcaraz in the last 8 matches. That victory will give him a much-needed boost and be a driving force on his quest to secure a maiden major title. He has come agonizing close in the past losing in the final in the 2020 US Open. So, it has been a long wait, but he has to go through Danil Medvedev, who is another big test for him too.

Meanwhile, Medvedev is a huge fan of the hardcourt surface. In the past, he has reached five Grand Slams on the surface and is on the verge of sealing the sixth one. Last year, he had a tremendous record winning 49 out of 66 matches on a hard court. If these statistics don’t give any person a notice, then It has to be now. The 27-year-old Russian will have to overcome the motivated Zverev. It won’t be any easy as both players possess similar playing styles. But Medvedev will be happy as he holds an 11-7 advantage over the opponent in the 18 meetings. The recent clash was at the ATP Finals where he also won 7-6, 6-4 over Zverev. So, it is a clash that will determine their future in court.

Value Bet: Danil Medvedev to win in four sets at 4.25