Boris Becker was taken by surprise at how upbeat Novak Djokovic appeared after his Australian Open defeat to Jannik Sinner, while he praised the young Italian for his dominant display.
Djokovic, who was bidding for a record-extending 11th title in Melbourne, was beaten 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 in Friday’s semi-final to suffer his first defeat at the tournament in six years.
The 36-year-old was second best throughout the contest despite rallying briefly in the third set and conceded afterwards that it was one of his worst-ever performances at a Grand Slam.
Despite that, he took the loss magnanimously, congratulating Sinner and smiling and waving to the Australian Open crowd – a reaction that surprised his former coach.
