Goran Ivanisevic explains why Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon Championship

Jannik Sinner leads Novak Djokovic 6-4 in their head-to-head record after beating him in Wimbledon.

Goran Ivanisevic explains why Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon Championship

Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Goran Ivanisevic (via X/Wimbledon/CLAY)

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Novak Djokovic fell short against Jannik Sinner at the Wimbledon Championship semi-finals. The former World No.1 was hoping to claim his 25th Grand Slam title at the tournament but that didn’t materialize in the end. His former coach Goran Ivanisevic has revealed what led to the loss of the Serbian legend.

Djokovic first faced Sinner at the French Open semi-finals, for the first time this year. The former had beaten the 24-time Grand Slam winner in straight sets at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, Djokovic was seeking to win the title for the eighth time and his 25th Grand Slam, a milestone which will make him the player with the highest number of major titles in the Open Era.

The World No.6 played great tennis, beating Alex de Minaur and Flavio Cobolli en route to the semi-finals. However, before the match, Djokovic slipped and fell in the fourth set of his quarter-finals clash against Cobolli. He took some seconds to get on his feet and resume playing but the fall was nasty.

Against Sinner, Djokovic was noticeably struggling physically and lacked sharp movement on the grass court. That allowed the Italian star to dominate proceedings, hitting the ball with power and precision. Sinner claimed a three-set victory over Djokovic and went on to win the title after beating Alcaraz in the final.

During an interview with Gol, Goran Ivanisevic, who guided Djokovic to 12 Grand Slam titles, was asked about the 38-year-old’s performance at Wimbledon. The legendary coach revealed that Djokovic was not 100 percent fit and ready for the match. He added that the World No.1 was far better than Djokovic:

When you are not 100% with Sinner, and even when you are, your chances are not many. I thought Novak could do it, but unfortunately, he was not entirely ready. Djokovic is the best tennis player of all time, but what these two are doing is another level of tennis. Sinner is better, tougher. I don’t know what tactics I would use against him; he has an answer for everything. He returns, strengthens, and wins the tournament.

Sinner leads Djokovic 6-4 in their head-to-head record having won their last five meetings on tour. On the other hand, Djokovic has reached the semi-finals of all the Grand Slams this season. He’s yet to win a major title since beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets at the 2023 US Open in New York.

Goran Ivanisevic says Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are five steps ahead of the rest of tour

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated the men’s circuit this season, winning all three Grand Slams this season. The former claimed the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while the latter won the French Open. They have also faced each other in two consecutive Grand Slam finals on tour.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

During the aforementioned interview, Goran Ivanisevic was asked about the level of performance from Sinner and Alcaraz. The Croatian coach said that the duo is five lashes ahead of the rest of the players on tour:

This was a back-and-forth final. Sinner was better and, in my opinion, he is currently a slightly superior player to Alcaraz. Both are five lashes ahead of the rest. The only one who could compete with them is Novak Djokovic, but the others have no chance.

Alcaraz leads Sinner 5-2 in their head-to-head record on titles won this season. They won’t compete at the Washington Open, which starts on Monday (July 21). They have also withdrawn from the Canadian Open and are set to commence their North American hard-court season at the Cincinnati Open before the US Open in August, where Sinner is the defending champion.

Also Read: Andrea Petkovic Snubs Coco Gauff, Calls Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka the ‘Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’ of WTA Tour