Australian Open: Djokovic halts Federer’s inspiring momentum, next gen stars with a chance

Novak Djokovic came back from 4-1 in the first set to steal victory from Roger Federer in a highly anticipated semifinal, while Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem are battling for the final spot.

Before we get to Roger Federer’s loss, let’s remember that the beloved tennis icon just fought through two five-set thrillers, while sustaining a groin injury in the one against Tennys Sandgren, to get to his record 46th grand slam semifinal. Up 4-1 in the first set, momentum seemed like it would continue to fuel Federer to a potential 21st slam victory.

But credit is due to Novak Djokovic, who was able to readjust and power his way back into the match, going toe-to-toe against his rival in the tense tiebreak, 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3. The groin injury that manifested during the Sandgren quarterfinal led Federer to forgo his customary warm-up before the marquee match against Djokovic, opting instead for the ability to heal. But after two grueling matches against John Millman and the American Sandgren, it was just too much, and the physical ailment cropped again after the tough tiebreaker, forcing the Swiss tennis player to ask for a medical timeout.

To beat Djokovic, you need to be 100 percent and at the top of your game. Roger Federer probably knew the outcome of the match at the outset. But it was a testament to the 20-time slam champion’s dedication to the sport, as he’s never retired from a match — an impressive stat that Djokovic alluded to in his post-match interview.

"“Obviously it’s really hard to compare injuries, because everyone goes through their injury respectively, individually,” said Djokovic on-court to Jim Courier, according to WTOP.com. “But it’s, I think, an amazing fact that he has never retired [from a] match, not a single match, throughout his career. Huge respect for that.”"

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Djokovic retired from the last grand slam he participated in, his fourth round U.S. Open match to Stan Wawrinka, due to a shoulder problem, and was booed by the crowd as he exited Flushing Meadows. Despite feeling injured, Federer opted to continue the match regardless of the impending outcome, not wanting to let the adoring crowd down.

Despite the loss, the 38-year-old Federer remains hopeful. Getting to a grand slam semifinal without any warm-up events is a remarkable feat, with the world No. 3 continuing his quest to increase his own record 20 slams, and perhaps put a little distance between Rafael Nadal (19), and Djokovic, who lies on the cusp of reaching No. 17.

“At the end of the day, I’m very happy,” Roger Federer said afterwards in his press conference, according to ESPN. “I think I overall played all right. I know I can play better. At the same time, I also know I can play much worse. With no tournaments beforehand, I think it’s a very, very good result.”

The final spot will be determined in the next semifinal, between two next-gen stars who have been pounding on the door for some time: Sascha Zverev and Dominic Thiem. Both have had brilliant breakthroughs in Australia, and have the fire to test 16-time slam champ Djokovic.

Zverev has especially fulfilled his enormous potential, making his first GS semi, following up his terrific run last fall. Thiem has made two slam finals before, but had the unfortunate luck to come up against Nadal on his home turf at Roland Garros each time. Thiem has experienced the pressure of a slam final, will he break through to his first major trophy? Perhaps he’s the hungriest of all three of them. It Zverev or Thiem wins Down Under, it will certainly usher in a new era for the nextgen.

The Australian Open men’s semifinal between Sascha Zverev and Dominc Thiem takes place live 2:30 a.m. ET.