Tennis. Wimbledon: Djokovic's dreams of eternity reveal the ogre Sinner

Apart from a disastrous first set against Alex De Minaur (world ^number 11) in the round of 16, the seven-time winner of the tournament has displayed a convincing level of play since the start of the fortnight, only conceding three sets in five matches, one more than Sinner.

A month after a three-set defeat to Sinner in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros , on a clay court that Djokovic likes much less than the grass of the All England Club, the uncertainty is above all physical for the "Djoker".

The former world No. 1 (currently ^6th ) had a "bad slip" at the very end of the match against Flavio Cobolli ( ^24th ) on Wednesday in the quarter-finals, a fall which made him wince in pain and the real impact of which he expected to feel on Thursday, once his muscles had cooled down.

"I feel like I can play as an equal."

"In terms of level of play, I feel I can play on equal terms" with Sinner and the two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ( ^2nd ), "and even be able to beat them if I play at my best level," said Djokovic after his victory in the quarter-finals.

To equal Roger Federer and win an eighth Wimbledon title, "I first have to beat the world number one and then face Alcaraz (or the American Taylor Fritz, editor's note) in the final. I hope that physically, I can handle that," continued the Belgrade native.

American Sam Querrey, who defeated Djokovic in the third round of Wimbledon in 2016 and is now retired from the courts, has "the impression that Djokovic sees this tournament as probably his last and best chance to win a Grand Slam."

"So I expect him to use up all the energy he has left" in the final matches of the tournament, the contemporary of the Serbian predicted on Tuesday, before the quarter-finals.

“Challenge” for Sinner

Former world ^number 4 James Blake, also retired, does not "know" if the 2025 edition of Wimbledon will be the "last opportunity" for the Serb to overtake Australian Margaret Court, with whom he shares the record of 24 major trophies.

"This guy seems to defy the passing of time, he's doing everything in his power to be ready," continues the 45-year-old American.

"But I can't imagine him fighting for Grand Slams at 42," so Wimbledon is still "one of his last chances" to win the coveted ^25th Grand Slam. While "Nole" has won the only two grass-court encounters he's played against the Italian, in the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals and in the 2023 semi-finals, the Italian has a five-to-four record in his encounters with his elder.

And the momentum is clearly in favor of the current tour boss, winner of the last four duels against Djokovic.

"We know each other well."

A fall by Sinner in the round of 16, which left his right arm sore, could have penalized the three-time Grand Slam winner.

But apart from a brief jolt of pain in the second set of his quarter-final victory in three sets against Ben Shelton ( ^10th ) on Wednesday, the world No. 1 did not seem bothered by the incident, lining up powerful serves and forehand slaps as usual.

The main reason for hope for the Serb lies above all in the first two sets lost by Sinner in the round of 16. Trailing 6-3, 7-5 by a Grigor Dimitrov (21st) in a state of grace, the Italian was saved by a sudden injury to the Bulgarian at 2-2 in the third set, which forced him to retire.

Sinner: "I never beat him at Wimbledon"

"Novak and I know each other well, we've faced each other a lot," Sinner said on Wednesday before learning the name of his next opponent.

"We know what works and what doesn't. I've never beaten him at Wimbledon, so it's going to be a very difficult challenge," said the Australian Open winner in January, who was beaten by Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final after wasting three match points.