Defending champion Novak Djokovic averted a surprising exit at Wimbledon and is in the semi-finals of the grass classic for the eleventh time.
After a two-set deficit, the top seeded Serb prevailed in 3:35 hours 5: 7, 2: 6, 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 2 against Jannik Sinner from South Tyrol. The 20-year-old missed his first semi-final entry at a Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic now meets the winner of the game between British Cameron Norrie and David Goffin from Belgium.
At the end of the fourth set, Sinner twisted his ankle but was able to continue playing. In the decisive round, Djokovic took his opponent’s serve to make it 2-1 and confidently pulled away. “He was the better player in the first two sets. I freshened up and had a little motivational talk with my reflection,” Djokovic said of a crucial toilet break.
The 35-year-old Djokovic is aiming for his seventh title at Wimbledon. He is third in the world rankings because Daniil Medvedev is missing after the exclusion of Russian tennis professionals because of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, as is the injured Alexander Zverev from Hamburg.
According to the current status, Wimbledon is Djokovic’s “last chance for a Grand Slam title this year. Even if the entry ban to the USA continues, he does not want to be vaccinated against the corona virus and would therefore also do without the US Open. Djokovic had recently confirmed that he had ruled out vaccination for himself.