Aussie star John Millman says Novak Djokovic won’t be affected by the ongoing noise surrounding his father being filmed and photographed with pro-Putin fans outside Melbourne Park.
Speaking on Nine’s Today on Friday morning, Millman said most other players would be rattled, but Novak was “a different beast”.
“He looks unstoppable right now – he is a man on a mission and that mission is to lift some silverware on Sunday,” he said.
Millman said Tommy Paul would be little more than a speedbump on Djokovic’s run to a 10th Australian Open title.
“Novak is playing tennis from a different planet right now. Tommy Paul has made a really good run into that semi final, but Novak is unstoppable at the moment.
“I thought early on that that hamstring might be a bit of a problem, the last two matches I have watched closely … he looks good.”
Millman said while he felt one finalist was more or less locked in, the other was far more open – even if the crowd will be partisan.
“Around the grounds a lot of people have already put Tsitsipas into that final, but Khachanov is a good player. He plays a big brand of tennis,” he said.
“You only have to cast your mind back to the 2022 US Open – he was the man who beat Kyrgios in that really good match.
“I still think Stef is the favourite going in, and I think he can do it, and the big reason being is this Greek crowd.
“They come in their droves to cheer on their hero and he feeds off that. He gets so excited and loves that atmosphere. It will be great to see him get through.”
