Djokovic says he needs to be ‘more humble’ after straight-sets defeat to Sinner

Good afternoon and welcome to semi-final coverage of Jannik Sinner versus Novak Djokovic on day 12 at Wimbledon.

This match-up has been billed as a heavyweight clash, as the pair meet for an 11th time. Sinner, the current world No 1, leads the head-to-head 6-5. However, in their most recent meeting, Novak Djokovic came out on top, winning in five sets in the semi-finals at this year’s Australian Open.

Before that meeting in Melbourne, Sinner had beaten Djokovic five times in a row, including last year at SW19 en route to winning the title. That was Sinner’s first grass-court victory over the seven-time champion – Sinner had lost the previous two both at Wimbledon in the semi-finals in 2023 and the quarters in 2022. Djokovic leads the head-to-head on grass 2-1.

Barring his first-round match, Sinner has enjoyed a pretty seamless run to the last four. Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic took the Italian to five sets in the first round, but Sinner cruised to straight-set victories in his four matches after.

Djokovic’s path to the semis has been less smooth. The 39-year-old Serb, chasing a record-breaking 25th grand slam, has come through three four-setters. His quarter-final against Félix Auger-Aliassime went the distance and broke the record for the longest quarter-final match in tournament history at five hours and 15 minutes – Djokovic more than earning his two days off after that epic.

Speaking ahead of the semi-final, Sinner said: “With Novak, I feel like every match is different. Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match really has its own story. Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or [you’re] not feeling the ball very well, it’s going to be very, very tough.

“He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I’m looking forward to it. In any case, I’m happy to be back in the semis. I’m happy to fight for every ball, then we’ll see.”

Djokovic, just as enthused to be in another Wimbledon semi-final, is also looking forward to the prospect of facing Sinner again. “I had a very long semis against Sinner. This is the quarters. Now I have to play Sinner in the semis. Obviously that was the first big tournament of the year for me [Australian Open final], coming fresher from several months of break and preparation. It’s a bit different now. But nevertheless, another great, historic run for me at the Grand Slams. This is what counts the most, honestly.

“I still try to prove to myself and others that I’m able to compete with the best players in the world and beat them in the biggest stage. That’s what I’ve done in Australia. It’s what I’ve done here.”