Daniil Medvedev knew what he was talking about. He was asked, hypothetically then after his quarter-final win, who he’d rather not face in the Australian Open final: Novak Djokovic, the 10-time champion in Melbourne who had never stepped foot in the semi-final and gone back without the trophy, or Jannik Sinner, who had never stepped foot in a semi-final at all there. It seemed a no-brainer, but not for the Russian. “If I’m 100% honest… I really don’t know,” Medvedev, who will be in the final after all, said.

“The thing is,” he explained, “that Jannik is playing so good now.”

Sure, but that good to get one up on a man who was 10-0 in Australian Open semi-finals? That good to get one up on a man who last lost a match 2,195 days ago at the Happy Slam? That good to get one up on a man who is never down for the count in any Slam in any situation?

Sinner, two years younger than Djokovic’s Slam count of 24, did all of that. And with such clinical precision that belied his age, his opponent’s stature and the magnitude of the stage. The 22-year-old Italian breezed past the 36-year-old defending champion 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 in a semi-final result not many may have seen coming (or maybe Medvedev, who came back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the other semi-final, did).

Not because Sinner couldn’t beat Djokovic — he had done so in two of their previous three clashes — but because going past the Serb in best-of-five marathons is, as Sinner put it, “mentally different”. More so at the season-opening major where Djokovic hadn’t lost in 33 outings and since a bespectacle Hyeon Chung stunned him in the fourth round in 2018.

Djokovic was a blurry version of himself in the 2024 semi-final, remaining largely absent in the opening two sets, growing his presence in the third before again fading away in a match where he littered 54 unforced errors.

“I was shocked with my level,” Djokovic said after the match. “I wasn’t doing much right in the first two sets. I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played.”

All along Sinner, coming into this Slam as arguably the best player at the back end of last season with titles in Beijing and Vienna before leading Italy to Davis Cup triumph, held his end up with aplomb. He remained solid on the baseline, swift with the movement and steady in the mind, not withering away even after surrendering the third-set tiebreaker from sensing the finish line at match point. It’s the kind of moment that has often turned the tide towards the 24-time major champion against younger challengers in the past. Sinner continued to sail, reaching the final shore for the first time in a Slam.

A measure of his control on the contest? Sinner did not face a single break point behind his serve against the game’s greatest returner.

“It means so much to me to beat Novak in Melbourne,” Sinner said.

The youngster had also beaten Djokovic twice in November last year (at the ATP Finals round robin stage and Davis Cup semi-finals). “It gives you a better feeling when you know that you can beat one player,” he said.

Sinner believed the improbable was possible, and Djokovic knew he had to turn up with his best level.

He was far from it. Sinner made the early break and a statement in the second game in which Djokovic double-faulted. While Djokovic was missing routine groundstrokes, Sinner was flaunting his solid all-round game. The Djokovic backhand, ever so reliable, developed cracks in the sixth game where Sinner broke again after Djokovic botched a backhand wide, volley at the net and long.

Eight backhand unforced errors in the opening set made way for seven (14 overall) in the second one-sided set, where Djokovic showed little positive body language. Sinner wasn’t getting carried away either, despite another neat set with 92% points on first serve and just four unforced errors.

First signs of Djoker shaking off the slumber came early in the third set when he saved a break point coming on top of a 21-shot rally. Djokovic tightened up his game and threw in some variety too to ask Sinner questions now and take things to a tiebreaker. Trailing 2-4, Sinner made it 4-4 winning a point with quality defence. Djokovic struck back with a brilliant lob winner but an unreturned first serve brought Sinner to his first match point. A forehand into the net wiped it away as match point soon turned set point for Djokovic. A long backhand from Sinner met an extended first bump from Djokovic.

The composed Italian responded with a quick hold to open the fourth set. Djokovic was broken, perhaps in the mind too, in the fourth game where, from 40-love, he squandered serve after Sinner won a deft drop duel and Djokovic had another double fault. Towards the end of it as Sinner eked out a point turning defence into offence, even Djokovic was left applauding.

Such was the Sinner show that shook the Serb off his Australian Open seat.