Wimbledon: Djokovic's dreams of eternity revealed by the ogre Sinner

A month after a three-set defeat to Sinner in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros, on a clay court that Djokovic enjoys much less than the grass of the All England Club, the uncertainty is primarily physical. The former world No. 1 suffered a "bad slip" late in his match against Flavio Cobolli ( ^24th ) in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, a fall that made him wince in pain. "In terms of my level of play, I feel I can compete on equal terms with Sinner," Djokovic said. To match Roger Federer and claim an ^8th Wimbledon title, "I first have to beat the No. 1 and then face Alcaraz in the final [the Spaniard plays Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, editor's note]. I have to be able to withstand that."

Retired American Sam Querrey, who defeated Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2016, has "the impression that Djokovic sees this tournament as probably his last chance to win a Grand Slam." Former world No. ⁴ James Blake, also retired, is not so sure that this is Djokovic's "last chance" to overtake Margaret Court, with whom he shares the record of 24 major trophies. "This guy seems to defy time," he continues. "But I can't imagine him still fighting for Grand Slams at 42."

While Djokovic has won the only two grass-court matches he's played against Sinner, in the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals and in the 2023 semifinals, 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 leader, who has won the last four matches.

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 aside from a brief bout of pain in the second set of his three-set quarter-final victory against ^10th- ranked Ben Shelton on Wednesday, the world No. 1 did not appear bothered by the incident.