Novak Djokovic delivered one of the most impressive wins of his career to reach the Australian Open final, beating two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 in the semifinal. While Djokovic’s resilience was the highlight on court, an emotional moment involving his longtime coach and hitting partner, Carlos Gomez-Herrera, showed just how much the moment meant to their team.
Carlos Gomez-Herrera in Tears After Novak Djokovic Defeated Jannik Sinner
38-year-old Djokovic is now heading into his record 11th Australian Open final and his 38th Grand Slam final overall. He showed his experience and mental strength against one of the toughest players on tour. This win wasn’t just about moving one step closer to another title, it was about belief, as Djokovic said himself, and the power of teamwork.
Gomez-Herrera, also known as “Charly,” has been part of Djokovic’s life for years. Their connection goes back to Madrid, back when the tournament was still played indoors. Watching him tear up after Djokovic’s win over Sinner showed just how much this meant to both of them. Those tears were about relief and pride.
At first, Charly wasn’t a practice partner; he was a close friend of Djokovic’s middle brother, Marko. With time, he became like family and an important part of Djokovic’s inner circle. Djokovic and Gomez-Herrera have teamed up for doubles earlier as well in the Mallorca Championships in 2021, though they haven’t won the tournament.
Djokovic called Charly “one of my best friends” earlier and shared that his job in Team Djokovic is about much more than just hitting practice balls. “He is contributing to our team both logistically and analytically,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic’s Message to His Doubters at the Australian Open
After his semifinal win at the Australian Open, Djokovic had a message for his critics. The Serbian proved once again that he is far from done, and he admitted that all the doubt around him has actually pushed him forward.
“There’s a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years. I want to thank them all, because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest. I know what I’m capable of,” Djokovic said.
His performance against Jannik Sinner backed that up. “I wouldn’t dare to call it [my] finest ever [victory] but definitely the finest in the last couple of years. Under the circumstances and semis against Sinner, who has been playing best tennis of his life in the last couple of years, particularly here … the two-time defending champion, [it] doesn’t get better than this,” said Djokovic.
