• Serb keeps dream of record 25th grand slam title alive

• 38-year-old battles past world No 2 in five gripping sets

At 1.33am on Saturday morning in Melbourne, four hours and nine minutes after his night shift had begun, Novak Djokovic collapsed to the floor with his arms aloft and stared up to the skies in utter disbelief. While Djokovic would normally reserve his most exuberant celebrations for triumphant finals, in truth this result was an even greater achievement than some of his victories in majors.

The Serb is 38, an age at which most players are long finished, yet somehow he is still competing for the biggest titles. On Rod Laver Arena, the most important stage of his career, he pulled off perhaps his greatest upset, recovering from two sets to one down to topple Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion and second seed, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to return to the final of the ­Australian Open. No player in the open era has come close to achieving Djokovic’s longevity. Merely being one of the best in the world at his age is an unprecedented achievement, yet here he outplayed and outlasted one of the two dominant men in the sport, breaking a five-match losing streak against Sinner.

Djokovic set up a final against Carlos Alcaraz after defying age and logic to beat the defending champion 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and move to within one win of a record 25th slam title

We’ll have a bit of a delay before the next semi-final as the spectators leave and the night session ticket holders come in.

So what does this mean for Sinner sorry Sinner or Djokovic in Sunday’s final? Well if either of them wins the title, they owe Zverev a huge favour for beating up Alcaraz tonight. “It’s one of the most demanding matches I have ever played,” says Alcaraz, whose brother then helps him carry his bags as he hobbles off court. Alcaraz looks like Djokovic did after his five-hour, 53-minute 2012 Australian Open final against Nadal; absolutely spent. But Alcaraz has somehow got to find a way to play another match in less than two days’ time.

• 38-year-old faces recent nemesis at Australian Open

• Djokovic rested after only 11 completed sets in Melbourne

Novak Djokovic has insisted that he will not “walk out with a white flag” as he prepares for his latest battle with one of the ATP’s dominant top two in a grand slam semi-final, this time against the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday in Melbourne.

“I’m creating my own history, and I think I’ve been very clear when I say that my intention is always to … get to the championship match in every tournament, particularly slams,” Djokovic said. “Slams are one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing and playing tennis. So that’s all I can say.