


LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia stretches to play a forehand against Jannik ... [+]
Another day, another Grand Slam final for Novak Djokovic.
And this time the 36-year-old Serb will bid for a record-tying 24th major title, an eighth Wimbledon crown and and fifth straight Wimbledon championship after defeating No. 8 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) to advance to his 35th Grand Slam final on Sunday. Djokovic, who continues to augment his case as the GOAT of men’s tennis, has won 45 straight matches on Centre Court and hasn’t lost there since the 2013 final to Andy Murray — a decade ago.
A 24th title would tie Margaret Court for the most ever. He is currently the all-time men’s leader with 23 — one more than Rafael Nadal’s 22 — and is tied with Serena Williams. An eighth Wimbledon title would tie him with Roger Federer for the most ever, and a fifth straight would knot him with Federer and Bjorn Borg in that category.
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Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, will meet the winner of the second semifinal between world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, the last two U.S. Open champions. Should Djokovic win the title, he would be three-quarters of the way to the first calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver accomplished the feat in 1969. Djokovic won the first three legs in 2021 before losing to Medvedev in the U.S. Open final.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during the Men's Singles Semi Finals ... [+]
“In terms of the numbers, thank you for bringing them up but they’re just the numbers,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal win over Andrey Rublev. “In the end of the day, especially during the tournament, I don’t like to spend too much time thinking about statistics and the achievements.
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“Obviously, it’s a tournament thats’ still active for me, I’m still in it as are all the other players. That’s all I’m thinking about right now, directing my attention to the next match.”
The Djokovic-Sinner matchup was a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals, which Djokovic won in five sets after trailing two sets to none. Djokovic went on to win his seventh Wimbledon, his fourth straight and his 21st major title.
Sinner is coached by Darren Cahill, who has also worked with Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Andy Murray. But even his coaching wasn’t enough to stop Sinner from falling to 0-3 against Djokovic.
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In the second set, Djokovic earned a break for 2-1 when Sinner sailed a forehand long on break point. Djokovic closed out the set on his serve with an ace in the deuce court that that curled toward the alley. He was 251-1 in majors when leading by two sets to love, so the match was virtually over at that point.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts during the Men's Singles Semi Final against ... [+]
In the third set, Sinner had double-set point with Djokovic serving at 4-5, 15-40, but the Serb fought off the challenge while mocking fans who rooted for Sinner by motioning that he was crying after winning the game.
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In the tiebreak, Sinner earned a 3-1 lead with a mini-break but then dropped three straight points as Djokovic took a 4-3 lead. Sinner smacked a forehand into the net to give Djokovic a 6-4 lead and bring him to match point.
On match point, Sinner smacked a backhand into the net and the two men met at the net and embraced.
Djokovic, of course, remains the favorite.
“I think any tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against you on the court, so it is a privilege as Billie Jean [King] said,” he said. “Pressure is a part of our sport, it’s part of what we do, it’s never going to go away, regardless of how many matches you’ve won, how many years you’ve been playing professionally on the tour.
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“The pressure is paramount every single time I come out on the court, particularly here, the Centre Court of Wimbledon but at the same time it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of and it inspires me to play my best tennis.
“I know they want to get a scalp, they want to win, but it ain’t happening still. Very humble.”