Jannik Sinner Leveled Up Mentally to Cruise Past Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon Semifinal: “You Need to Play Best Tennis Against Him”

Jannik Sinner had to level up mentally for his semifinal match at Wimbledon because his opponent was none other than 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The match, held on Friday (July 10), saw the Italian clinch a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the final of the grass-court Major for the second consecutive time.

Sinner has improved his head-to-head record over the seven-time Wimbledon champion to 7-5, also taking his revenge for his Australian Open semifinal defeat. This year in Melbourne, Sinner was bidding to complete a three-peat, but the 39-year-old dashed his hopes with a five-set win before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the final.

I think mentally I knew that I needed to level up. I’ve done it today. That helps me for sure. I worked very hard in the past couple of days, having a good rhythm. Thanks to my team, who put the body and mind in the position to be as competitive as possible. Against Novak, if you want to play even, you need to play your best tennis.

Jannik Sinner said at the press conference

In the final, the 24-year-old will face reigning French Open champion Alexander Zverev. Sascha too easily won his semifinal match against home favorite Arthur Fery in straight sets.

I came out and was serving very well today, which helped me. Things could’ve gone a very tough way if he breaks me in the third set. That’s how tennis is. I’m happy I handled the situations as good as I could. Novak is so tough to play against because you always feel the pressure. It’s not easy. I’m happy about today’s performance.

Jannik Sinner added

Sinner has a lead of 10-4 in the head-to-head matchups against Zverev, also defeating him in their last nine meetings. They have already faced each other four times this year, with their most recent meeting being the final of the Madrid Open. Zverev, who, before this season, had never played in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, is chasing his career’s first grass-court title as well as his second title of the season.

Jannik Sinner on whether he will play in Montreal and Cincinnati after Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner has already clinched five titles this season. Prior to his French Open third-round upset, Sinner lifted five back-to-back Masters 1000s (in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Monte Carlo, and Rome). This win in his home event made him the second man after Novak Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Slam.

At the press conference after his latest win, Sinner was asked whether he plans to play at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters to keep his Masters 1000 streak going.

This is a conversation we’re gonna have after the tournament. Thank you.

Sinner won the Canadian Open in 2023 by defeating Alex de Minaur, and the following year, he beat Frances Tiafoe in the Cincinnati final. He skipped the Canadian event last year and reached the final in Cincinnati but lost the title to Carlos Alcaraz.

The South Tyrol native has so far lifted 10 Masters 1000s. If he wins on Sunday, it will be his 17th Big Title of his career. Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, is the winner of 10 Big Titles, which also includes one Olympic gold medal.

If the 29-year-old snaps his nine-match losing streak versus the four-time Grand Slam champion, he will become the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the Channel Slam and the first one since Alcaraz (2024). And if the match ends in Sinner’s favor, he will become the 10th man in the Open Era to defend his title in the grass-court Major.

Also read: Linda Noskova Struggles to Describe her Feelings Heading into her First Wimbledon Final: “I Don’t Really Know”