Jannik Sinner thrashes powerless Novak Djokovic to set up tantalising Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz
Strap yourselves in, folks.Jannik SinnerandCarlos Alcarazhave endured their fair share of frights over the past 12 days at theAll England Club, but the two leading stars in men's tennis are not to be denied. They have, we have, athrilling rematchahead of us on Sunday afternoon, five weeks on from theirRoland Garrosepic. And with the greatest of respect toNovak Djokovic, a seven-time champion no less, this is the finalWimbledonwill havewanted too. On Friday, both Alcaraz and Sinner emerged victorious in their semi-finals but it was Sinner – the world No 1, chasing a first Wimbledon title – who made the most emphatic statement. Taking on Djokovic, eyeing a seventh consecutive final here, Sinner walked ontoCentre Courtand played lights-out tennis. It was the closest thing to flawless we've seen all year. In less than two hours, Djokovic – albeit a Djokovic hampered by injury – was swatted aside like a rookie on the south-west London stage he has made his own, the scoreline a devastating 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Demolition job complete. "Amazing, I cannot believe it," Sinner said on court. "From my side, I served very well, I felt great on court and was moving much better today. I tried to stay calm and play the best tennis I could, especially in the important moments." There was a sombre tone to the finale, however. Djokovic, clearly hampered by a thigh injury sustained at theend of his quarter-final winagainst Flavio Cobolli, was virtually on his knees in the third set. Such a rare sight in over 20 years on tour, Djokovic this time could not muster any resistance. Will we see him here again? He hopes so. "I would be sad, hopefully it's not my last match on Centre Court," he said in his post-match press conference, just 20 minutes after his match concluded. "I'm not planning to end my Wimbledon career today. I want to be back here at least once." The Serb acknowledged pre-match, having not claimed a set in their French Opensemi-final last month, that it would "take the best of me" to beat Sinner. The Serb, 15 years older we should not forget, and in the autumn of his glittering career, has not beaten Sinner in 30 months. But the SW19 grass, without a doubt, represented his best shot at a record-breaking 25th grand slam, having defeated Sinner here in 2023 and 2022. However, the leaps and bounds by which the 23-year-old Italian has improved his game, athleticism and mentality are why he is the top men's player. Yet he had a point to prove on grass, the only surface he had yet to reach a major final on. And here, Sinner came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt on an August day in Beijing. Sinner sealed an early break with a superb lob and, from there, the first set was claimed. A low-energy Djokovic, whose fitness beforehand was in doubt, did not have so much as a sniff on return. Some pill to swallow, you'd assume, for the best returner the sport has ever seen. In fact, in mirror image to Alcaraz'swin against Taylor Fritz earlier in the day, Sinner did not lose a point behind his first serve in the opening set. First-set tie-break on Sunday, anyone? In the first hour, Sinner was strutting around the court like a mechanical monster, smashing the life out of every shot with supreme accuracy. Yet curiously, for as full throttle as Sinner was, Djokovic was severely lacking in adrenaline, unable to shift out of first gear. Even chants of "Nole, Nole" were futile in the face of Sinner's unwavering attacking tennis. In hindsight, perhaps deep down, the Serb knew he was fighting a battle he couldn't possibly win. Djokovic did have a chance at 4-2 in the second set. The chance was 0-15. Sinner produced three unreturnable first serves, before Djokovic netted. And that was that. The Serb escaped his own service game but Sinner, unrelenting, powered to the second set. By this point, his first-serve accuracy was riding high at 76 per cent and he'd only lost two of 32 points behind it. That told its own story. For Djokovic's 11-year-old son Stefan in his player box, wearing a cap littered with signatures of top players, including Sinner and Alcaraz, it was a gut-wrenching watch. Djokovic wisely took a medical timeout as the trainer tended to his leg. The writing was on the wall. But then, suddenly, Sinner did something unusual: he made a few errors. Even more unusual: they were on serve. Djokovic ground his way to 30-30 and Sinner mishit a routine forehand. Then, the Italian lumped another into the net. A break of serve and a roar from the crowd, keen for more action this Friday night. Was this to be the turning point? Not this time. Sinner's peerless level had dropped, ever so slightly, and Djokovic even had a point to go 4-0 up. But Sinner crucially held, overcame his 10-minute lag, and broke back as Djokovic, almost in surrender, meekly plunged a drop-shot into the net. It was a sign of things to come. Djokovic was no longer moving freely as a result of his leg problem, and was failing to chase down every ball in normal fashion. Sinner claimed another break, with Djokovic heading into the net behind every serve, and soon the ending was inevitable. The Serb saved two match points on his own serve, but was a beaten man. He didn't even run for the final ball, as Sinner comfortably stroked a forehand into the open court. The biggest compliment we can pay to Djokovic, a man refusing to retire in the face of Father Time, was his will to compete despite hardship here. He didn't withdraw pre-match. He didn't retire. He finished the contest. And the Serb gave the obligatory wave as he left the stage. For the last time? After this, it feels more likely than ever. The next generation is now the present generation and their protagonists will take to the court once more in the showpiece match on Sunday. Popcorn at the ready, everyone.
Jannik Sinner thrashes powerless Novak Djokovic to set up tantalising Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz Strap yourselves in, folks.Jann...
