For the third time in the last three years, Jannik Sinner will have to take the degree exam on Wimbledon’s grass against the seven times king of the Championships, Novak Djokovic: already beaten twice by the Serbian on the noble London meadows, the South Tyrolean Today he renews the challenge From the top of the primacy in the world ranking, and above all aware of being a different, better, more confident player, compared to the one that always came out defeated at the All England Club.
A new awareness, reinforced, as Sinner himself recognized after the match won, of authority, in the quarterfinals against Ben Shelton.
The best way to repay the fortune received in the previous round, when – below two sets, in evident difficulty – he had benefited from the sudden retreat due to his opponent Grigor Dimitrov.
Reached his seventh Slam semifinal in his career, the fourth consecutive in a major (the youngest to succeed by Rafa Nadal, 2009), Sinner immediately projected on the next opponent. “I never beat him on the grass – the words of Sinner -. But compared to 2023 I am a different playerI have more confidence in myself. I matured and raised. But I also know that I have to continue working hard if I want to stay at these levels. “Yesterday the South Tyrolean supported a very intense training session, with a young Italian junior, Pierluigi Basile. At Orange, Sinner appeared in excellent shape, and also the pains in the right elbow, violently affected in the first game of the match against Dimitrov, does not seem to give him no more bored.
A physical condition that does not seem to share his next opponent, who today preferred not to train, erasing training at the last moment, probably as a precautionary form. At the first match -point of the match against Flavio Cobolli, the Belgrade champion had slipped to the ground, accusing – according to the media Serbs – a muscle resentment. Who did not prevent him from winning the meeting with the Italian, but who evidently advised his team the maximum caution on the eve of a match that is announced very demanding from every point of view.
At 38, reached the 14th semifinal in Wimbledon (in 20 participations), the seventh in a row, the 52nd Slam in the career, Djokovic goes hunting for the 25th major, and it is certainly in London who can claim the most credible ambitions. Although he will find himself in front of Sinner, who has beaten him in the last four direct clashes, including the defeat in three sets in the Paris semifinal. “I think I played a solid game at Roland Garros, I could have played better, but (Jannik) was simply better in the decisive moments – the honest analysis of Djokovic -. Now another opportunity presents myself, and that’s all that matters. Playing against the best in the world right now, Jannik and Carlos (Alcaraz) is an extra motivation, I also want to understand how much I can struggle with these guys. Ask for a bigger challenge for myself “.
The other semifinal, which will inaugurate on the Friday of the Center Court, sees opposite Carlos Alcaraz, favorite n.2 but winner of the last two editions, against the American Taylor Fritzat the second Slam semifinal in his career, and never went beyond the quarterfinals in London. Two precedents, both in favor of the Spaniard, without losing a single set.
Yesterday, in the meantime, the penultimate act of the female tournament was staged, from which the two finalists came out that they will face each other on Saturday, to raise the golden plate in the sky.
In the first semifinal, with great surprise, n.1 in the world, Aryna Sabalenka, was beaten in three sets by Amanda Anisimova, favorite n.13 (6-4 4-6 6-4). In just over two and a half hours, the 23 -year -old American from FreeHold (New Jersey), reached her first Slam final. Absent in the last two editions, in the fifth participation in the Championships, Anisimova had never gone beyond the quarter -finals. On the other side of the network, Iga Swiatek, 4 of the ranking, which in two sets liquidated Switzerland Belinda Bencic (6-2 6-0). For the 24 -year -old Polish of Warsaw it is the sixth Slam final (five career majors): no proceeding between the two.