We’re going to a tiebreak in the first set of this men’s semi-final, Zverev producing some big serves and taking the game without dropping a point.

Now over an hour into this one and we’re still waiting for our first break of the match, Djokovic dropping just the one point as his well-placed serving and baseline play produces a relatively straightforward hold and makes it 6-5.

Both John McEnroe and Jim Courier on the host broadcast are suggesting that the fitness concerns that Djokovic is carrying into this contest probably does give impressive physical specimen Zverev the advantage– especially if it goes as long as it’s looking it might –but that the German’s history of just being unable to find that ruthless edge in the crucial moments is giving them pause.

Probably our most straightforward game yet, Zverev holding to love – finishing things off with his seventh ace of the game – as it moves to 5-5.

Zverev just cannot break Djokovic, blowing his fifth opportunity to do so as the seventh seed forces a deuce and, eventually, takes the hold after firing down an ace.

His thigh heavily strapped, we saw our first Djokovic limp after Zverev forced the second deuce in that game and Jim Courier on the broadcast is musing that the German, displaying a level of unexpected restraint so far, is banking on dragging this one out in the hopes that his opponent’s body will break down. Mentally, however, these missed opportunities must be beginning to take a toll even if he’s in it for the long haul.

We’re still on serve, as Zverev produces the hold to take it to 4-4. The German produces the first double fault of the game to fall into a 15-30 hole but he answers back with a 210 km/h ace to draw things level, before directing another 197 km/h ace right past Djokovic to set himself up to produce the hold.

Djokovic produces another hold to take the game to 4-3. After falling behind, back-to-back winners from Zverev take the game to deuce but he can’t lift an attempted return of a drop shot over the net in giving up the advantage, nor keep his attempted return of a subsequent powerful Djokovic serve inbound.

After a challenging start to this match, the Serb is starting to better zero in his first serve, hitting on 11 in a row to drag his rate up above 50%.

Zverev drops the opening point of the game but bounces back to take the next four points and take the hold and make it 3-3. Whereas Djokovic is hitting just 36% of his first serves, the German is landing 81% of the time, firing in back-to-back aces to take this game.

After a shaky opening two services, Djokovic is able to get his first serve working on the third attempt and it pays dividends, dropping just the one point – an unforced error as he attempted to drop a backhand just over the net — as he takes the hold to go up 3-2.

Zverev makes it much harder than it needed to be but, eventually, produces the hold. Three straight unforced errors to open give Djokovic three break points but the German saves all of them to force it to deuce, where an ace gives him the advantage and a powerful shot sent straight into his opponent at the net gives him the forced error to take the game.

Djokovic produces another hold to go up 2-1 but his inability to land a first serve is already looking like it could be an issue going forward. Landing just four of his 21 serves at the first time of asking so far, the Serb was taken to break point four times in that game only to fight back and eventually produce the hold. Unable to land a decisive blow, the host broadcaster is already postulating that the occasion may be getting to Zverev.

A much less dramatic hold for Zverev, working his serve and baseline play to drop just a single point.

Djokovic isn’t able to land a first serve in the opening game but still takes it. Zverev pounces on his serve to set up his first winner of the match in its opening point before we get our first long rally – what is sure to be many in the hours ahead – one in which the Serb takes his first point of the game, one which he backs up with a forearm volley to move ahead. Zverev can’t keep his return of a serve down the T as it goes to 40-15 lead but he stays in it after Djokovic sends a forehand long.

But Djokovic gets the hold; both players charging forward after the German has a shot just drop off the top of the net and exchanging drop shots – Zverev sending his around the net – only for the Serb to find a winner.

It’s a pleasant day in Melbourne, the oppresive heat that has characterised some of the previous days play giving way to a balmy 21 degrees as this semifinal begins. In other words, the weather shouldn’t be a factor in this contest.

Yesterday, of course, saw Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys move into the women’s final. Jack Snape and Tumaini Carayol have recapped all the action.

Sinner put paid to the last of Australian hopes in the men’s draw when he continued his domination over Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals but the local crowd was given something to cheer yesterday when local duo Olivia Gadecki and John Peers took out the mixed doubles.

Jack Snape has filed this from Melbourne.

Djokovic and Zverev have made their way out onto Rod Laver, the tension rising even higher as play approaches.

The last time Djokovic and Zverev met at a grand slam came in 2021, in the semifinals of the US Open. On that day, the German took out the first set and was able to push Djokovic to five sets but, in the end, was unable to deny him.

Tumaini Carayol’s work in Melbourne across the past few weeks has been superb and his scene setter for today’s men’s semifinals is no different.

Even before he had undergone medical tests, defined the nature of his physical ailment and planned for his recovery, Novak Djokovic knew what was in store for him in the days after his remarkable quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday, which he pulled off despite struggling with left thigh pain.

Preamble