Italian world No.1 Jannik Sinner has fired a warning to 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic ahead of their Wimbledon semi-final showdown.
The two men are set to fight it out for a spot in this year’s final after Sinner beat Ben Shelton and Djokovic defeated Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
Sinner lost to Djokovic when they faced each other in the last four at Wimbledon two years ago, with the Serbian winning 6-3 6-4 7-6.
But a lot has changed since that match – with Djokovic now edging towards retirement at the age of 38 – and Sinner landing three major titles.
Sinner, 23, has warned Djokovic that he is far more ‘comfortable’ and ‘confident’ heading into their latest clash at the All England Club.
Sinner: I’m more confident than 2023 clash
‘I’ve never won against him here in Wimbledon, so it’s going to be a very, very tough challenge,’ Sinner told a press conference after beating Shelton.
‘Many things have changed for me [since Wimbledon 2023]. I feel that before matches I’m more comfortable, let’s say, or confident.
‘At the same time, I know that I have to keep working and keep putting pressure on myself because new players are coming.
‘The new, new generation is growing. Novak is here and obviously Carlos [Alcaraz] and a lot of other players.
‘The work never stops, you know? I think that’s exciting. But yeah, I believe that I’m different player, different person. Hopefully I can say that I’m more mature, too, yeah.’
Sinner provides fresh injury update
Sinner has also provided an update on his right elbow injury, which he picked up in his walkover win over Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
There were genuine concerns that Sinner could’ve withdrawn from the tournament after he cancelled a scheduled training session on Tuesday.
But after a MRI scan, Sinner recovered in time to beat Shelton in straight sets – and it didn’t seem like he was in much pain against the American.
‘I always try to put myself in the position at least to go out there and try,’ Sinner said about the injury after his victory over Shelton.
‘I had quite good feelings in the warm-up today. Yeah, so I felt also yesterday that mentally I have to get ready.
‘I put into my mind that I’m going to play today. Yeah, so the concerns were not that big if I would play or not.
‘It was just a matter of what my percentage [would be]. Today was very high, so I’m happy.’
Rusedski: This was a statement win for Sinner
Speaking after Sinner became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals in four straight major men’s singles events since Rafael Nadal in 2009, former British No.1 Greg Rusedski told the BBC: ‘What a performance.
‘Everybody was worried about his elbow but this was a statement performance. He found a way to get through.’