Roger Federer said he felt he only had a 3% chance of beating Novak Djokovic in their Australian Open semi-final and described the defeat as “horrible”.

The Swiss third seed, 38, was hampered by a groin injury which he picked up in Tuesday’s quarter-final win over American Tennys Sandgren.

Defending champion Djokovic, 32, won 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-3 in Melbourne.

“It’s always tough when you have a 3% chance of winning, but that’s better than none,” said Federer.

“It was horrible, to go through what I did.

“Nice entrance, nice send-off, and in between is one to forget, because you know you have a 3% chance to win.”

Federer said that Djokovic, bidding for a record-extending eighth Australian Open title, was “the better [player], no question”.

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Defending champion Djokovic, seeded second, was the heavy favourite to beat his long-time rival in what was their 50th meeting – the Serb has won 27.

Questions were raised about Federer’s fitness going into the match and he lacked movement throughout.

“I thought I was going to make it. I wouldn’t have gone on court if I thought I had no chance to win,” said Federer, who had a scan on the problem on Tuesday night.

“The time-out was just one of the things that needed to be done to prevent any further problems.

“Once I was in the match I felt I would be able to continue.”

Despite the problem, Federer stunned the Rod Laver Arena with a blistering start which saw him lead 4-1 and 40-0 before Djokovic fought back.

“I was playing with nothing to lose and taking big cuts at the ball and keeping rallies to a minimum, trying to catch him off guard and mix it up,” Federer said.

“I got some good connections but wasn’t able to serve out. I should have found a way to do that but I wasn’t able to.”

That proved pivotal as Federer went on to lose the opening set, allowing Djokovic to seize control from then on.

One positive for Federer is that he does not think the problem will cause him long-term issues.

Asked if he believed he could still win Grand Slam titles, he said: “Yes, I do believe that.

“I think by having the year that I had last year, also with what I have in my game, how I’m playing, I do feel that.”

Britain’s Gordon Reid reached the final of the Australian Open men’s wheelchair event with victory over Joachim Gerard of Belgium.

The Scot, bidding for his first Grand Slam singles title since Wimbledon in 2016, won 6-4 7-5.

He will face top seed Shingo Kunieda in the final after the Japanese beat fellow Briton Alfie Hewett 6-3 6-3.

Britain’s Jordanne Whiley reached the women’s wheelchair doubles final with partner Yui Kamiji of Japan.

Whiley and Kamiji will play Dutch top seeds Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot in the final.

Elsewhere, Britain’s Andy Lapthorne was beaten by five-time champion Dylan Alcott in the quad wheelchair singles.

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World number one Lapthorne, playing his second match in the round-robin format, lost 7-5 6-1 in Melbourne.

He managed his only break of serve to level the first set at 5-5 but Australian Alcott took control and won eight of the last nine games.

Lapthorne had defeated David Wagner in his opening match on Wednesday.

Speaking before his defeat by Alcott, Britain’s Lapthorne said the Australian Open is “the number one country in the world to play wheelchair tennis”.

“They are smashing the glass ceiling for quad tennis in particular; accepting us, putting us on Centre Court for the final,” the 29-year-old told BBC 5 Live.

“I love coming here, they love wheelchair tennis, the way we are treated is fantastic.

“That would be a dream come true, to go on to Centre Court at a Grand Slam as world number one.”

Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to retaining the Australian Open title with a straight-set semi-final win over injury-hit rival Roger Federer.

Serbia’s Djokovic was 4-1 and 40-0 down in the opening set before recovering to win the tie-break.

That laid the platform for the 32-year-old second seed to go on and win 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-3.

Djokovic, aiming for a 17th Grand Slam title, will face Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.

“The match could have definitely gone a different way if he had used those break points [in the sixth game],” Djokovic said.

“He started well – I was nervous.

“Respect to Roger for coming out tonight. He was obviously hurt and wasn’t close to his best in terms of movement.”

Victory would mean a record-extending eighth Australian Open triumph for Djokovic, who has lost just three matches at Melbourne Park in the past 10 tournaments.

It would also move him within three of 38-year-old’s Federer’s all-time record of 20 men’s Grand Slam singles titles and within two of Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who lost to Thiem in Wednesday’s quarter-final.

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Ruthless Djokovic proves too strong

Djokovic was the heavy favourite to beat his long-time rival in what was their 50th meeting.

Questions were raised about Federer’s fitness going into the match, having struggled with a groin problem in his epic quarter-final against Tennys Sandgren.

And he needed an off-court medical timeout, presumably for the same problem, at the end of the first set.

Djokovic turned into his ruthless best in the second set after a tight opener, giving away little on his serve and applying serious pressure on his opponent’s.

After Federer survived break points in the second and sixth games, Djokovic took his first chance in the 10th, scampering to pick up a drop-shot and scoop away sharply cross-court.

That silenced many in the 15,000 crowd on Rod Laver Arena who were supporting Federer.

But not the noisy bunch of Serbs sat behind his player box, to where he shot a steely side-glance as he clenched a fist in celebration.

From that point it was difficult to envisage a comeback for Federer, who somehow came through five-set matches against third-round opponent John Millman and then Sandgren.

Djokovic picked his moment to break in the third set, finishing off a precise point with a wonderful forehand winner that kissed the sideline for a 4-2 lead.

Federer said after beating Sandgren he would always believe in miracles until defeat was confirmed.

This time it would truly have been a miraculous escape against someone of Djokovic’s class.

Federer valiantly levelled at 30-30 as Djokovic tried to serve out the match, only for the Serb to refocus and seal victory in two hours 18 minutes.

Federer starts well but momentum swings

Concerns had been voiced by some at Melbourne Park that Federer might pull out in the hours leading up to the match. They proved unfounded.

Instead he came out firing in an extraordinary start in which his fitness issues did not stop him building up a lead.

Although he had to stave off two break points in the opening game, he eventually came through a six-minute hold before the pair exchanged three successive breaks.

Federer turned the set 4-1 in his favour with supreme serving and shot-making, leaving the stunned crowd murmuring in excitement at what they had just seen.

“It was not exactly the right mindset for me at the start – I was looking at how he was moving rather than executing my shots,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic faced three more break points to go 5-1 down but hung on to leave Federer still needing two more games.

A 61-second hold to love – ace, backhand-volley winner, ace, service winner – put him within one.

Then, as the aces and winners started to dry up, momentum swung back as Djokovic won the next three games as a tie-break beckoned.

The pair had won 44 points each going into the set decider, despite Federer hitting 25 winners to Djokovic’s six.

But Djokovic upped the ante in the breaker, blasting an ace past Federer for a 5-1 lead at the changeover and two more winners seeing him through.

That proved pivotal in the context of the match and ultimately terminal to Federer’s chances.

“I managed to dig my way through and it was very important to win that first set,” Djokovic said. “Then mentally I could relax and swing through the ball a bit more.”

Race to be the ‘GOAT’ continues

Djokovic’s victory over Federer in last year’s historic Wimbledon final took him closer to the Swiss’ Grand Slam tally than he has ever been.

Now the Serb, who has won six of the past nine tournaments in Melbourne, is aiming to further reduce the gap on Sunday.

Almost six years younger than Federer, Djokovic could add plenty more, barring a loss of form or fitness.

His pursuit of Federer and Nadal is made more remarkable by the fact he won his first major in 2008 – when Federer had claimed 13 and Nadal five – and only added a second three years later.

Nadal, however, is another major obstacle for Djokovic – and also a concern for Federer.

Sofia Kenin reached her first Grand Slam final by beating a nervous top seed Ashleigh Barty in straight sets in the Australian Open semi-finals.

The 21-year-old American, seeded 14th, won 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 in sweltering conditions at Melbourne Park.

Australian Barty, aiming to become the first home woman to reach the final in 40 years, failed to convert two set points in each set.

Kenin will face unseeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s final.

The two-time Grand Slam champion saw off fourth seed Simona Halep 7-6 (10-8) 7-5.

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Florida-raised Kenin, who was born in Russia before moving to the United States as a baby, dropped her racquet on the floor and cupped her face with both hands when Barty hit a return long on match point.

“I’m speechless. I can’t believe it. I’ve dreamed of this since I was five years old. I’ve worked so hard to get here,” she said.

Kenin is the first American to reach the Australian Open final, outside of the Williams sisters, since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.

She was a child prodigy in the States, having made numerous television appearances and played alongside the big names when she was young.

Now she has fulfilled that promise by reaching her first Grand Slam final.

Possessing a feisty nature and a tremendous will-to-win, she showed all of her qualities to overcome Barty and shock the expectant crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

Australia’s wait continues

Barty insisted she was not being swept away by growing public excitement as she aimed to follow Wendy Turnbull in 1980 by reaching the Melbourne final, and ultimately become the nation’s first champion here – either male or female – since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

Yet she looked edgy in the crucial moments throughout the match.

Barty’s service game – where she won 20 of her 24 service points before coming under pressure for the first time at 5-5 – kept her out of serious trouble.

That was until the first-set tie-break when tightness crept in again, missing two set points, before Kenin cracked two winners in a row to swing momentum back in her favour.

With a set point on serve, the American took it when Barty swung at a second serve and lumped the ball into the net.

Barty started to play more freely in the second, breaking early for a 2-1 lead, and finally started to cause problems for Kenin with her backhand slice.

But she got tight again in the crucial moments, unable to take two more set points when serving for the second at 5-4.

Anguished cries from the passionate home support greeted a drive forehand volley into the net on the second.

From that point she struggled to recover.

Barty did save the first match point with a whipping cross-court forehand winner that ended a 17-shot rally but succumbed to the second as Kenin won in one hour and 45 minutes.

Barty, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open in June, acknowledged playing in her first Australian Open semi-final was a “different experience”.

However, the 23-year-old did not think she was adversely affected by the occasion.

“I put myself in a position to win the match and just didn’t play the biggest points well enough to be able to win,” said Barty, who appeared at her post-match news conference with 12-week-old niece Olivia on her lap.

“I have to give credit where credit’s due. Sofia came out and played aggressively on those points and deserved to win.”

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Extreme heat arrives in Melbourne

Melbourne is known for its variable weather and, after poor air quality caused by the devastating bushfires, and torrential rain earlier in the tournament, it was the turn of scorching heat to potentially cause problems.

Temperatures touched 40C for the first time during the fortnight, meaning the Australian Open’s extreme heat policy came into force.

Their scale reached 4.0 just before the players came on court, triggering an extended break between the second and third sets – if it had gone that far.

Both players are well accustomed to playing in sweaty conditions, Barty hailing from Queensland and Kenin growing up in Florida.

Neither looked adversely affected by the temperatures and humidity, although sensibly used ice towels at the changeovers.

The heat scale rocketed up to 4.9 during the match, just falling short of the 5.0 required to stop the match and close the court’s roof.

Play was suspended on the outside courts in the wheelchair and junior competitions where the threshold for stopping play is lower.

Rows of empty seats in the sun-soaked parts of Laver started to appear as the match wore on, while fans outside opted to watch the big screen from shaded areas under trees rather than the available deckchairs.

Garbine Muguruza continued her recent revival by reaching the Australian Open final with a straight-set win over Romania’s Simona Halep.

The unseeded Spaniard, 26, battled past the fourth seed in a tense 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 semi-final victory.

The two-time Grand Slam champion fought off four set points in the opener and twice came back from a break down in the second.

She will face American Sofia Kenin in Saturday’s final.

It is Muguruza’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final since she won the Wimbledon title in 2017.

More to follow.

• Kenin beats top seed Barty to make final
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