NOVAK’S PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE STILL SUBLIME DESPITE APPARENT INJURY

AT THE beginning of this tournament, I said I thought Djokovic and Osaka would win. The only element of doubt is Djokovic and this most odd injury of his.

I’m sure he is feeling something isn’t right with his body but if you can beat Taylor Fritz in five sets injured and you can beat Sascha Zverev in an attritional four, and dismiss Milos Raonic in three there is more right with you than wrong.

Bjorn Borg had strained stomach muscles many times when winning Wimbledon and while Djokovic has at times looked like he wanted to crawl to his deathbed his physical performance remains sublime.

I maintain he is the best tennis player I have ever seen and there can’t be any better with their backs against the wall. Novak is a complicated character and I love watching him compete, his technical expertise is second to none and he makes a complicated game look so easy. His real genius lies in doing the basics well.

Honourable mention to Aslan Karatsev. He came through qualifying in the Middle-East after nine failed qualifying attempts in previous major championships.

Ranked 114th in the world, the man from North Ossetia is no mug. He is the first man since tennis went professional 53 years ago to reach a slam semi on debut and nobody has qualified and done it in 21 years. I’m delighted for him as he heads off to the prize money office with a big smile on his face.

Naomi Osaka to beat Jennifer Brady in straight sets in the Australian Open women’s singles final (Unibet)

SWANSEA, Reading, Oxford and Exeter make up tomorrow’s Football League acca.

Age of new Sunderland chairman Kyril LouisDreyfus, whose takeover has been approved by the EFL. The Frenchman – whose dad Robert used to be Marseille owner – becomes the youngest chairman in English football. Stewart Donald, the ex-Black Cats owner, keeps a minority shareholding