“The game can change so quickly” – Jannik Sinner admits he was nervous during marathon victory over Novak Djokovic at the Six Kings event

Jannik Sinner admitted he was internally panicking after Novak Djokovic pushed him in the semi-finals of the Six Kings Slam.

There he needed just two sets to win the title, but in Riyadh it was a different story as he needed almost two and a half hours to defeat Djokovic 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4.

“Maybe from the outside (I seemed calm), but from the inside there was a little (panic),” Sinner told DAZN. “But it’s normal. This game can change so quickly.”

“Not too many days ago we played a final in Shanghai. I feel like we were both a little tired and made a few mistakes, but we just tried to stay there.”

After holding out his opening set against Medvedev 6-0 on Wednesday, Sinner once again enjoyed a fast start in the semi-finals.

The Italian needed the same amount of time in the game against Djokovic, namely 27 minutes, to get within one set and didn't give the Serb the slightest hint of a break.

Two love holds and a few comfortable breaks were enough to give Sinner control of the fight, although Djokovic managed to flex his serving muscles with two love holds of his own.

But Sinner appeared to be struggling physically at the start of the second set and immediately gave up his serve for the first time at the event.

He quickly regained his composure, winning nine points in a row to punctuate a love affair with a decisive love break, and even Djokovic applauded when Sinner delivered a sublime cross-court backhand just inches from the net.

From then on, both players struggled to find joy in each other's serves, as neither could sustain a duel until the one-sided tie-break.

The Serb defeated Sinner 7-0 and equalized the game. With his 14th win from 20 playoff games, he extended his dominance in the tiebreaks this year.

And while the momentum was suddenly Djokovic's, Sinner was undeniable in the hour-long third set.

The 23-year-old had to survive two break points from 2-3 down before fighting hard for consecutive breaks, which took the match away from the 24-time Grand Slam winner.