Jannik Sinner & Novak Djokovic eye contrasting Wimbledon milestones in blockbuster semi-final

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Sinner & Djokovic eye contrasting Wimbledon milestones in blockbuster SF

Stars meet in second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final on Friday

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour Jannik Sinner leads Novak Djokovic 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. By Jerome Coombe

When the draw was made, Jannik Sinner knew that his bid for a first Wimbledon title might hinge on a blockbuster semi-final with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Fast forward two weeks, and the stars will meet in the last four at a Grand Slam tournament for the second time in as many months when they take to Centre Court. Their clash is the second match from 1.30 p.m. BST/8.30 a.m. EDT. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets in the Roland Garros semi-finals last month, but the 38-year-old Serbian will be hungry for some quick revenge as he eyes a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title.

After suffering a scary fall in the opening game of his fourth-round match with Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner brushed aside any lingering injury concerns with a clinical quarter-final victory over Ben Shelton. The Italian had limited preparation — only 20 minutes with no serves — but showed few signs of discomfort during his authoritative win over Shelton.

“Yesterday I played 20 minutes without serving and not hitting 100 per cent,” Sinner said after his two-hour, 19-minute victory. “But in the other way, I always try to put myself in the position to at least go out there and try. I had quite good feelings in the warm-up today, so I put into my mind that I'm going to play today. The concerns were not that big if I would play or not. It was just a matter of what my percentage [was].”

Sinner has swept the past three hard-court majors, winning twice at the Australian Open and claiming his maiden US Open trophy last year, but he is yet to taste success at the All England Club. He stands across the net from Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who owns a standout 102-12 record at the event, having reached the championship match in the past six editions.

While Sinner has defeated Djokovic in their past four meetings and now holds a 5-4 edge in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, the Serbian has won each of their two battles at Wimbledon, in their 2022 quarter-final and 2023 semi-final.

Interestingly, Djokovic altered his usual playbook in their Roland Garros showdown. Rather than relying on his trademark baseline consistency, he surprised Sinner with a barrage of drop shots and greater variety. This was potentially a sign of uncertainty about whether his standard game could prevail.

That tactical wrinkle also offered a glimpse into Djokovic's willingness to deviate from his norm and attempt to disrupt Sinner's rhythm. Yet as he continues to defy the aging curve with his achievements, Djokovic relishes the opportunity to compete among the game's elite.

“That motivates me to see how much I can still keep going with these guys toe to toe,” Djokovic said. “I lost in straight sets to Jannik in the semis of Roland Garros. I think I played a solid match. I could have played better, but he was just a better player when the moments were important. So I get another opportunity. Him next to [Carlos] Alcaraz are the leaders of tennis today, men's tennis. I couldn't ask for a bigger challenge for myself. I look forward to it.”

Whether or not Djokovic is fully fit — he suffered a nasty fall in his quarter-final win against Flavio Cobolli — the sixth seed will likely mix things up. During his campaign at SW19, Djokovic has enjoyed significant success at the net, winning 67 per cent of points when at the forecourt against Alex de Minaur in the fourth round (35/52) and Cobolli in the quarters (24/36).

That determination to take control of proceedings and rush Sinner at the baseline may prove pivotal in their 10th meeting. But the 23-year-old Italian has shown he can handle the pressure and respond with guile of his own, reading Djokovic's drop shots effectively and engaging in cat-and-mouse exchanges with confidence in Paris.

This time, something will have to give. For Sinner, it’s a chance to advance to his first Wimbledon final and make pace in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, in which he is currently 2,240 points adrift of first-placed Carlos Alcaraz, who plays Taylor Fritz in the second semi-final. Djokovic is chasing a 103rd win at Wimbledon to move within one victory of tying Roger Federer’s all-time record of eight crowns at the All England Club.

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