"Shocked Novak Djokovic-Alexander Zverev is the day match";"Awful" - Fans slam 'outrageous' Australian Open SF schedule ft. Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton

Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, and Ben Shelton are set to feature in the blockbuster semifinal matchups at the 2025 Australian Open. However, the scheduling for the highly anticipated matches has not gone down well with tennis fans.

Djokovic advanced to his 12th Australian Open semifinal with a stellar display against Carlos Alcaraz, claiming a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over the Spaniard. Meanwhile, Zverev triumphed over Tommy Paul 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 in a closely contested battle to set up a much-awaited meeting with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

On the other side of the draw, Sinner continued his title defense with a dominant performance against Alex de Minaur, beating the home favorite 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Shelton secured a 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) win against Lorenzo Sonego to set the stage for a blockbuster battle against the World No. 1 for a spot in the final.

The highly anticipated men's semifinal clashes are scheduled for Friday, January 24. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are set to take the court in the day session at 2:30 pm local time at Rod Laver Arena, following the mixed doubles final. Subsequently, Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton will headline the night session, set to commence at 7:30 pm.

However, tennis fans were furious over Djokovic and Zverev not receiving the prime-time slot, complaining that the "best match" deserved the night session over Sinner and Shelton's encounter.

"Shocked Novak/Alex’s match is the day match," a fan posted.

"So annoyed that Djokovic is playing during the day ☹️😠," one fan wrote.

"What TF is wrong with you. Why is the best match in the day session. No one wants to watch the doping fraud," another fan chimed in.

"This is awful," one fan remarked.

Fans continued to voice frustration with the "outrageous" schedule, asserting that Zverev and the 24-time Grand Slam champion's match should've had a later start time.

"Outrageous hour, this is a joke this match should start at 4 pm at minimum," one fan commented.

"This is a joke, the first singles match should be played at 4pm, garbage schedule," another fan wrote.

"Too early for nole," a fan shared.

"Novak and Sasha scheduled 2:30PM is not ideal. There’s plenty of time, and it should be scheduled for no earlier than 4:30 PM local time," said another.

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"Alexander Zverev's going to let me win Grand Slam matches" - Novak Djokovic jokes about his 'agreement' with German ahead of Australian Open SF

The Serb and Alexander Zverev - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic will head into his Australian Open semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev with an 8-4 lead in their head-to-head record. The Serb also claimed a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory in their most recent encounter at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

Following his win over Carlos Alcaraz, the 37-year-old humorously mentioned his "agreement" with Zverev and joked that the German would allow him to win all of their Grand Slam meetings.

"We have an agreement as long as I play he's going to let me win Grand Slam matches," he quipped in his on-court interview.

If Djokovic triumphs over Zverev, he could set up a blockbuster rematch with Jannik Sinner after losing to the Italian in the semifinals of last year's Australian Open, provided Sinner emerges victorious against Ben Shelton.