India, Feb. 1 -- In a moment of exhaustion and elation, Novak Djokovic recognised Margaret Court in the crowd and thanked her for staying up so late to watch him get within a single victory of becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time. The 83-year-old Court was among the VIPs at Rod Laver Arena for Djokovic's epic five-set win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in a gruelling semifinal that ended after 1.30 am Saturday. For now, they share the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. That could change Sunday.

Djokovic's energy-sapping win over Sinner set up a championship decider against top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spaniard bidding to become the youngest man ever to complete ...