Novak Djokovic faces a crucial moment in his historic quest for a 25th Grand Slam title as he takes on world number one Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final. The Serbian star, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, sees the London grass courts as his best opportunity to extend his Grand Slam record. At 38 years old, Djokovic is attempting to reach an 11th Wimbledon final and 38th Grand Slam final overall, but this time he steps onto the court as the underdog.
Although he previously defeated Sinner at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023, the Italian has turned the tide in their rivalry. Sinner claimed victories over Djokovic at both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, giving him a narrow 5-4 lead in their head-to-head matches and winning their last four encounters. Djokovic acknowledged the challenge ahead, praising Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the current leaders of the sport.
Sinner comes into the match with momentum after comfortably defeating Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, showing no signs of the elbow injury that previously raised concerns. Djokovic, meanwhile, is hoping to shake off a minor injury from his last match against Flavio Cobolli.
Djokovic has not captured a Grand Slam title since winning the 2023 US Open, which brought him level with Margaret Court’s 24 major titles. A win in this semi-final would send him to his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, a feat that would match Roger Federer’s Open era record. His last semi-final loss at Wimbledon came back in 2012 against Federer.
In the other semi-final, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz aims to reach his third straight final at Wimbledon. After a shaky start to the tournament, the 22-year-old Spaniard showed dominant form in a straight-set win over Cameron Norrie. With five Grand Slam titles to his name, Alcaraz is currently on a 23-match winning streak since losing the Barcelona final in April.
Standing in his way is Taylor Fritz, the American fifth seed, who is chasing his second Grand Slam final appearance. Fritz has had a strong grass-court season and hopes to become the first American man to reach the Wimbledon final since Andy Roddick in 2009. He previously lost his only Grand Slam final to Sinner at the US Open.
Both matches promise high drama and could reshape the current landscape of men’s tennis, with seasoned champions facing off against rising stars determined to seize the moment.
