At 38 years and nine months, Djokovic became the oldest male Grand Slam finalist.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — In a moment of exhaustion and elation, Novak Djokovic recognized Margaret Court in the crowd and thanked her for staying up so late to watch him get within a single victory of becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time.

Novak Djokovic’s cryptic message after his Australian Open 2026 final loss has sparked retirement and future speculation.

Novak Djokovic received multiple lucky breaks to make it to his semifinal showdown against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open. However, there was nothing lucky about his hard-fought victory that went to 1:30 a.m. local time. Djokovic took down Sinner in five sets: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Tennis, at its core, remains an etiquette-based sport with numerous unwritten rules. For instance, silence during and in between service games and no raucous cheering like you might see in, say, a soccer match.

Novak Djokovic fired back at a reporter who suggested he's been "chasing" rivals, defending his record 24 Grand Slam titles before the Australian Open semifinal.

The 38-year-old is one win away from claiming a historic 25th major singles title after pulling off one of the signature victories of his career in the semifinal.

While he fell short in the 2026 Australian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic managed to claim at least one record over the weekend.