Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Janik Sinar to reach his 11th Wimbledon semi-final
Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Janik Sinar to reach his 11th Wimbledon semi-final
It says so much about Novak Djokovic that while he was hardly at his best in a two-set-to-no hole on day one at Wimbledon, no one thought the end result was a forgotten conclusion.
Much has been said about his superiority at the All England Club in recent years. So much about his history of overcoming that kind of deficit. So much for their ability to adjust, adapt, correct themselves quickly. Much about what might have happened – or, rather, when – he came back into the match and eventually went into the fifth set.
And so it was that Djokovic gave Italy’s 10th seed Jannik Sinner a big lead on Tuesday, then worked all the way to make a comeback and finish 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6. Won from -2 on center court, earned his 11th semifinal berth at Wimbledon with his 26th consecutive win at a grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Among men, only Roger Federer, with 13, has reached more semi-finals at this location. Among men, only Federer, with eight, has won more than seven championships, which Djokovic will reach by lifting the trophy on Sunday, for the fourth year in a row.
Djokovic’s seventh career return
Djokovic made the seventh return of his career by two sets in a match – he did so in the French Open final against Stefanos Tsitsipas last year – and improved to 37-10 in the five-setter. This includes 10–1 points in matches that cover the distance at Wimbledon, including nine straight victories; The lone loss dates back to 2006.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates defeating Italy’s Janik Sinar in the men’s singles quarterfinal match on Day 9 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. , photo credit: AP
Top seed Djokovic, 35, of Serbia will face either Britain’s No. 9 Cameron Nori or unseeded David Goffin of Belgium in the semi-finals on Friday. Men’s Quarterfinal Wednesday: No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain vs No. 11 Taylor Fritz of America & Nick Kyrgios of Australia vs Christian Garin of Cille.
Tatjana Maria in the semi-finals of Wimbledon
The first player in the women’s semi-final was 103rd-ranked Tatjana Maria, who defeated Joule Niemeyer 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 in an All-German matchup. Maria is 34, the sixth woman in the professional era to be so old at Wimbledon, which began in 1968.
other people? That’s quite the list: Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
This is Maria’s 35th Grand Slam tournament; He had also made it to the third round only once before.
She will take on Tunisia’s No. 3 Ons Jabeur or Czech Republic’s Marie Buzkova for a place in the final on Saturday. Other women’s quarterfinals: 2019 champion Simona Halep of Romania vs No. 20 Amanda Anisimova of America, and No. 17 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan vs Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia.
Of the women’s quarterfinalists, only Halep has a major title (she has two).