Finishes in the semifinals – the first for him at Grand Slam level – Jannik Sinner’s run at Wimbledon, third Grand Slam of the season which is heading into the decisive stages on grass at the All England Club in London. The South Tyrolean was the third blue in history in the penultimate act of “The Championships” after Nicola Pietrangeli (1960) and Matteo Berrettini (2021), and the youngest to have succeeded in the feat. On the legendary Center Court the 21-year-old from Sesto Pusterian.8 ATP and eighth seeding favourite, he surrendered 63 64 76(4), after a battle of more than two and three quarter hoursto the Serbian Novak Djokovic, n.2 in the ranking and seeding, seven times winner on these lawns.
Never in the history of Wimbledon had there been a “suit” with a very marked age difference (14 and 86 days). He matches. He The 36-year-old champion from Belgrade beat Jannik in both previous challenges, played in the first round of the Masters 1000 on Monte-Carlo clay in 2021 and precisely at Wimbledon in last year’s quarterfinals, recovering two sets from a disadvantage. It’s raining and therefore we play with the roof closed, then indoors. Immediately a “slide” for Jannik in the first point of the match, as if the grass were a bit damp: despite this, in the opening game of the first set the South Tyrolean gets two break points with personality which Nole annuls.
On the other hand, in the next game, three consecutive forehand errors pack the break for the Serbian (2-0) who then confirms it (3-0). In the fourth game, a cross forehand by Sinner on the break point he ends up wide by a whisker and Djokovic goes up 4-1. The former world number one manages the advantage and in the ninth game, with three aces in a row and a winning first game, he secures the 6-3 in a fraction in which scores 9 winners against 3 free (13 against 6 the balance for the blue, further proof that in tennis the points are not all the same…).
Empty pass by Jannik in the third game of the second set where he finds himself down 0-40, annoyed by his opponent’s ability to ALWAYS answer: he cancels the first two break points but on the third one he still has the right to betray him (2-1). In the third point of the following game the chair umpire, the British Richard Haigh, gives the “fifteen” to Sinner (disturbed point) because Djokovic yelled a bit too much as he hit the ball: “Are you kidding?”, the Serbian asks him but then “sketch”. After missing the opportunity to make it 3-1, Nole offers the ball for the counter break to the blue who however buries the forehand into the net: the Serbian also gets a “warning” for having violated the 25-second rule (Haigh certainly doesn’t lack personality) and then manages to stretch on 3-1. In the seventh game the blue goes up from 15-40 avoiding the double-break (4-3) but he can’t stop Djokovic from closing 6-4 with the ace number six.
In the third fraction still problems for the blue in the third gameor: under 0-40 he cancels the first break point at the end of a suffocating exchange that half is enough, the second with an ace, the third with a first winner and then with the second ace the game goes up 2-1. And find motivation not to give up. In the eighth game, ahead 4-3, Sinner does not call a “hawk” on a ball that pinches the line and which could send Nole back 0-30 on his serve: lucky for him, he doesn’t know it. In any case, he continues to take his batting turns with ease and goes up 5-4. In the tenth game the Serbian concedes the first two break points of the match which are also as many set-points: on the first Jannik sends the crossed backhand into the corridor on the second instead the forehand, getting nervous.
Meanwhile Novak finds time to argue with the public (a bit un-British on the occasion to tell the truth) but meanwhile with the fourth consecutive point he grabs 5 all signed by a right to volley. It’s the tie-break that decides, with the Serbian winning the last 14 games. The blue takes a mini-break ahead (2-0) but returns it by committing the second double fault of the match and from 3-1 he finds himself 3 all. In the ninth point Nole takes another mini-break (5-4), Sinner shoots another forehand into the net (6-4) and then with the blue’s backhand into the net he closes by 7 points to 4, hitting his ninth final at Wimbledon, the 35th in a Grand Slam. Chapeau!
At the end of the game, however, the Serbian crowned Jannik “The semifinals of a Grand Slam are hard-fought matches. The score doesn’t tell the reality of what happened on the court. He could have won the third set. He made a little mistake and allowed me to reach the tie-break. Sinner has shown why he is one of the leaders of the new generation“. Novak Djokovic affirms it at the end of the semifinal won 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 with Jannik Sinner on the grass of the Wimbledon tournament. “I try not to look at age as a distinguishing thing. Thirty-six is the new twenty-six! – jokes the Serbian -. I still feel inspired to play the sport that I love and has given me so much. I feel gratitude and want to return the favor to this sport by playing as much as I can,” he adds.