Wimbledon, Super Sinner is not enough: Djokovic flies to the semi-finals

Two sets as world No.1 are not enough Jannik Sinner to beat the Championships' No.1 favorite, Novak Djokovic, protagonist of a sensational comeback that projects him for the eleventh time in semifinal a Wimbledon. The performance of the South Tyrolean, number 10 in the seeding, remains impressive, as on the lawns of Church Road, where he had never won before this year, he dominated the Serbian champion for over an hour and a half, toying with the idea of ​​reaching the first Slam semifinal of his career.

“Obviously I'm disappointed and even angry about the defeat because I never like to lose. – the analysis of Sinner -, but I have to be proud of what I did. I never had the illusion of winning, and if Novak won six times here there must be a reason. Today he played very well too, but I think I forced him to play like that”.

Because at the end of a match of brutal intensity, it is the experience of Djokovic – 14 years and 328 days more mature than Sinner – to shift the balance. Straightening out a meeting, now compromised, which updates its numbers: the second success against Sinner is equivalent to 26th consecutive victory a Wimbledon, where Nole hasn't lost in five years (2017), when it was injured to the shoulder against Tomas Berdych. Thus they rise to 84 successes on the noble English lawns, such as Jimmy Connors (same number of semi-finals in London too), behind only Federer (105). Approached in the calculation of the semifinals Slam: 43 Djokovic, three in more lo Swiss.

From the great illusion to the final disappointment: despite suffering a break in opening, the start of the match is in the sign of Sinner who outclasses the six-time king of Wimbledon with his own weapons: pace, intensity, pressure. After cancelling the initial disadvantage, at the half hour mark the 20-year-old from San Candido re-establishes parity and then breaks serve in the 11th game. On the wings of first set Sinner run away immediately forward even in the according to: he authoritatively holds his service turns and doubles the lead. But just when the Italian is almost at the top, Djokovic suddenly raises the level of his tennis, becomes unplayable in his service games, and breaks serve three times Sinner, dragging the match to a fifth set.

“I know what he changed in his game to make things difficult for me, but I prefer not to say it publicly. It will happen again that I will play against him, and I will take that into account”, commented Sinner. At the beginning of the decisive fraction, the Italian returns to being aggressive, but runs into a break at the beginning that forces him to an impossible chase. And at first match point Djokovic he leaves him no escape. “I always believed I could turn the game around, I was physically fine – the words of Djokovic -. It was just a matter of changing the inertia of the match on a mental level. Experience made the difference. The beginning of the third set was crucial, being able to break the service immediately. Anyway, congratulations to Sinner, is destined for a great future.”