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Key questions for the Australian Open men's semifinals: Sinner vs. Shelton, and Djokovic vs. Zverev

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Key questions for the Australian Open men's semifinals: Sinner vs. Shelton, and Djokovic vs. Zverev
News

News

Key questions for the Australian Open men's semifinals: Sinner vs. Shelton, and Djokovic vs. Zverev

2025-01-23 19:05 Last Updated At:19:12

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — If it seems as if there's always something going on with Novak Djokovic at Grand Slam tournaments, that's because there usually is. Even Djokovic himself acknowledged as much as he prepared to face Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open semifinals Friday after taking painkillers for a hurt left leg.

“I don't recall the last time it was any Slam without some form of drama, to be honest. I guess that’s part of it. We are out here competing and giving our best to grab a Grand Slam title,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic, who needed a medical timeout and got his leg taped while eliminating 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal that felt like a final to the winner.

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Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a backhand return to Alex de Minaur of Australia during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a backhand return to Alex de Minaur of Australia during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand return to Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand return to Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with coach Andy Murry, right, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, early Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with coach Andy Murry, right, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, early Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

“A lot of things happen on the way," added Djokovic, who also got involved over the weekend in a dispute with a local TV commentator who insulted him on the air. "That’s OK.”

Without saying exactly what's wrong with his leg, Djokovic did say this injury is “very similar” to what happened to him at the Australian Open in 2023, when he dealt with a bad left hamstring ... and left with the trophy.

The other men's semifinal is No. 1 Jannik Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian who is the defending champion and unbeaten in his last 19 matches, against No. 21 Ben Shelton, a 22-year-old Floridian in his second major semifinal.

How the rest and recovery Djokovic had planned during the time between his match against Alcaraz, which ended just before 1 a.m. as Tuesday became Wednesday, and his next task will go a long way toward determining which version of him shows up in Rod Laver Arena against the No. 2-seeded Zverev, a 27-year-old German.

“I hope to be able, physically, to be moving freely and to be able to be ready to play five sets,” Djokovic said as he bids for an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title overall in his first tournament being coached by old rival Andy Murray. “I don’t think I’m going to have, mentally or emotionally, any issue (against) Zverev or to motivate myself or anything like that.”

Here is a look at Friday's matchups:

Shelton has a powerful lefty serve and loves to flex his biceps in his sleeveless match outfits. He cranked one ace at 144 mph (232 kph) in his quarterfinal win over Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday, tied for the fastest serve of the tournament.

Also available to Shelton: a high-bouncing kick serve he learned from his father, Bryan, a former tour pro who coaches Ben, and that gives opponents fits.

“It’s an unusual serve. And he changes the angles a lot. It’s hard to predict and it's heavy off your racket,” Sonego said. “So you need to be very decisive when you return, otherwise the ball flies.”

Sinner goes about things a different way. His fastest serve so far was 131 mph (210 kph), but “he hits his spots with the best of them,” third-round opponent Marcos Giron said.

During this Australian Open, Sinner has only faced 16 break points and saved 13. He's won 75 of 78 services games, an 96% rate that ranks first among all men who made it past the third round. Shelton is next in that category at 94% (92 of 98).

“It’ll be important,” said Simone Vagnozzi, one of Sinner's two coaches, “to take advantage of the tiny chances during the match that Shelton allows.”

There is a bigger difference when it comes to returning ability: Sinner has won 29% of his opponents' service games (22 of 75), while Shelton's rate over the past 1 1/2 weeks is 15% (15 of 99).

Djokovic certainly owns the better resume than Zverev. Then again, who really can compete with Djokovic in that sort of competition?

This will be Djokovic's 12th Australian Open semifinal (he's 10-1), his 50th at all majors (he's 37-12). Zverev is headed to his third trip to this stage in Melbourne (he's 0-2), his ninth at all majors (he's 2-6).

“If you are in a semifinal of a Grand Slam, you have to expect a tough match," Zverev said. "If somebody’s there, that means they have played great tennis. And yes, more often than not, it happens to be Sinner and Alcaraz (or) a Djokovic to get there, because those are the best players in the world.”

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Djokovic is a slight money-line favorite in his semifinal, listed at -165 against Zverev (+135), a two-time runner-up at other major tournaments. Sinner, who won the U.S. Open last September shortly after being cleared in a doping case that is still pending appeal, is a much bigger pick against Shelton: Sinner is listed at -1600, Shelton at +875.

Djokovic leads Zverev head-to-head 8-4, including 3-0 in Grand Slam matchups. Sinner leads Shelton 4-1, including 1-0 at majors.

Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a backhand return to Alex de Minaur of Australia during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a backhand return to Alex de Minaur of Australia during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand return to Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand return to Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with coach Andy Murry, right, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, early Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with coach Andy Murry, right, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, early Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting privately with congressional Republicans at the White House on Thursday as his allies on Capitol Hill are arguing with themselves over the size, scope and details of his “big, beautiful bill” to cut taxes, regulations and government spending.

The House and Senate GOP leaders are looking to Trump for direction on how to proceed, but so far the president has been noncommittal about the details — only pushing Congress for results.

The standoff is creating frustration for Republicans as precious time is slipping and they fail to make progress on what has been their top priority with their party in control in Washington. At the same time, congressional phone lines are being swamped with callers protesting Trump's cost-cutting efforts led by billionaire Elon Musk against federal programs, services and operations.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president and lawmakers were discussing “tax priorities of the Trump administration,” including Trump's promises to end federal taxation of tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay. Renewing tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017 also was on the agenda, she said.

“The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done,” Leavitt said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, despite the slimmest of majorities, has insisted Republicans will stay unified and on track to deliver on his goal of House passage of the legislation by April.

But as Johnson's timeline slips — the House was hoping to start budget hearings this week — the Senate is making moves to take charge.

Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota have proposed a two-step approach, starting with a smaller bill that would include money for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall and deportation plans, among other priorities. They later would pursue the more robust package of tax break extensions before a year-end deadline.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, announced late Wednesday that he was pushing ahead next week with hearings to kickstart the process.

Graham's first bill would total some $300 billion and include border money and a boost in defense spending, largely paid for with a rollback of Biden-era green energy programs. Graham, R-S.C., said that would give the Trump administration the money it needs to "finish the wall, hire ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents to deport criminal illegal immigrants, and create more detention beds so that we do not release more dangerous people into the country.”

“This will be the most transformational border security bill in the history of our country,” Graham said.

That's a long way from the more $3 trillion in tax cuts and more than than $2 trillion in spending reductions that hard-line conservatives are demanding.

House Republicans are deeply split over Graham’s approach. But they are also at odds over their own ideas.

House GOP leaders are proposing some $1 trillion in savings over the decade, lawmakers said, but members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus want at least double that amount.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said of achieving only $100 billion a year in savings, at a time of $7 trillion in annual spending: “That’s insane.”

Roy and other members of the Freedom Caucus are interested in Graham's approach, which is seen as a down payment on Trump's immigration and deportation plans, while the party continues work on the broader tax and spending cuts package.

But Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, the House Budget Committee chairman, said the $2.5 trillion in spending reductions was a “stretch goal.”

Johnson, R-La., needs almost complete unanimity from his ranks to pass any bill over objections from Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans have a 53-47 majority, with little room for dissent.

Trump has repeatedly said he is less wed to the process used in Congress than the outcome of achieving his policy goals.

President Donald Trump talks to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left and and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., right, after he spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump talks to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left and and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., right, after he spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters to discuss the Trump agenda following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters to discuss the Trump agenda following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - The White House is seen, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

FILE - The White House is seen, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

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