Former WTA World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport doubts Novak Djokovic will feel confident heading into his Australian Open semifinal against defending champion Jannik Sinner. The American also offered a key piece of advice to the 24-time Grand Slam champion ahead of Friday’s clash.
Djokovic is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title and an 11th Australian Open crown in Melbourne this year. He displayed his trademark dominance in the first three rounds, winning each match in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic Advised to Play ‘His Style of Tennis’ by Lindsey Davenport Ahead of Australian Open SF Against Jannik Sinner
However, luck seemed to favor the Serb ahead of the fourth round when Czech youngster Jakub Menšík withdrew due to an abdominal muscle injury, granting Djokovic a direct entry into the quarterfinals. While it was an unfortunate turn for the young Czech, it gave Djokovic a valuable four-day window to prepare for his clash with Lorenzo Musetti. In fact, his commanding 9-1 head-to-head lead over the Italian further bolstered his advantage heading into the clash.
However, the advantage on paper didn’t translate on court, as Musetti rarely looked back after overturning an early 0-2 deficit in the opening set. The Italian broke Djokovic’s serve five times across the first two sets, taking them 6-4, 6-3, and appeared determined to reach the semifinals.
The turning point came in the third game of the third set when the World No. 5 injured his upper right leg and required treatment from the physio. Subsequently, after two hours and eight minutes of play, with the score at 6-4, 6-3, 1-3, Musetti was forced to retire. Meanwhile, Djokovic yet again reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
The road ahead will be challenging, with defending champion Sinner standing in Djokovic’s way. To stay in the running for his 25th Major title, Djokovic must heed a key piece of advice recently shared by Davenport on Tennis Channel.
“Oh man! It’s just kind of wild the last 5-6 days for Novak and walkover in the round before, then down 2 sets to love, and oh by the way now you are in the semis playing Sinner. So you gotta figure he is gonna get to work on being able to control the baseline points more,” she said.
Djokovic narrowly makes it into the semifinal 🎾
What will it take to bring down reigning champ Jannik Sinner? 🤔 #AO26 pic.twitter.com/9TWql4UO77
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 29, 2026
Davenport said that Djokovic usually dominates, but seeing Musetti challenge him forces Novak to refocus on his strengths. She noted his age and recent struggles might affect confidence, even as he reaches the semifinals again.
“That’s what we used to see from Novak. And when you see someone like Musetti able to do that, if you are Novak you gotta start getting back out there and try to do what you do best. Obviously he is a little bit older, interesting that he won’t be going into the semifinal match, I can’t imagine his confidence is sky high, even though he is in the semi again,” she said.
“And that was probably the goal, given myself a chance to play Sinner or Alcaraz in that round. He’s gotta muster up some belief and get to playing his style of tennis if he can,” she concluded.
It is worth noting that Djokovic acknowledged after the quarterfinal that Musetti’s mid-match retirement was unfortunate and that the Italian deserved the win. Regardless, the Serb now turns his focus to the tougher challenge ahead: World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.
Sinner has been a challenging opponent for Djokovic in recent times, holding a 6-4 head-to-head edge. The Italian won five of those matches, including their Wimbledon semifinal clash. The Italian claimed five of their previous encounters, notably including a victory in the Wimbledon semifinals.
