Jannik Sinner dominates Djokovic to reach Wimbledon final
If there were any lingering questions over Jannik Sinner’s physical status after his meltdown at the French Open, they should be answered now. Sinner blasted his way past seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to reach the Wimbledon final — showing off the kind of dominance he displayed before that second-round defeat in Paris.
“I knew mentally,” Sinner said, “that today I had to raise my level, which I’ve done.” For the 39-year-old Djokovic, it marked another chance missed at adding to his record total of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. But Djokovic expressed interest in playing Wimbledon when he’s 40: “I would like to, at least one more time,” he said. “I feel when I’m healthy, I’m still able to play as a top-five player, still able to compete at the highest level,” Djokovic added.
It was a measure of revenge for Sinner after Djokovic won their last meeting in five sets in this year’s Australian Open semifinals. “Playing against Novak,” Sinner said, “what he’s still showing is true inspiration.” Aiming to defend his title at the grass-court Grand Slam, the top-ranked Sinner will face second-seeded Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final. Zverev ended the “Ferytale” run of British wild card Arthur Fery with an overpowering 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4 victory earlier as the star-studded crowd on Centre Court witnessed two one-way contests.
Zverev will be playing for another major trophy a month after winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. “This Grand Slam has always been the one that I struggled with the most and all of a sudden I’m in the final of Wimbledon,” the 29-year-old German said. “We got one more match to go on Sunday and that’s what the focus is on.” It was another warm day in southwest London, with the temperature rising to about 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 Celsius). It was also breezy and a bit cloudier than in recent days. Still, it felt nothing like the suffocating heat and humidity in Paris when Sinner wasted a big lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who was ranked No. 56, and had his 30-match winning streak ended in dramatically unexpected fashion.
Djokovic was coming off the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, when he outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime after 5 hours, 15 minutes on Tuesday.
Sinner, by contrast, hadn’t lost a set since he was pushed to five by Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.
