Novak Djokovic has broken one Wimbledon record – Jannik Sinner will deny him another

The best player in the world, at least according to the rankings, faces arguably the best player in history in a Wimbledon semi-final that has been described as ‘mouth-watering’.

All eyes will be on Centre Court on Friday afternoon as world number one Jannik Sinner takes on seven-time champion Novak Djokovic for a place in the Wimbledon final.

If that wasn’t tantalising enough, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz features in the other semi-final against world number five Taylor Fritz.

That means despite a flurry of upsets in the first week of Wimbledon, the final-four in the men’s draw consists of the three pre-tournament favourites and the fifth-best player in the world.

Jannik Sinner

Losing one of the greatest French Open finals in history to his biggest rival – and failing to convert three Championship points – clearly hurt Sinner. Some pundits felt that pain would linger upon his arrival at the All England Club but the Italian breezed past his first three opponents without dropping a set.

Sinner in fact dropped a record-low 17 games on his way to the fourth round of Wimbledon, beating Roger Federer’s long-standing tally of 19 from 2004. Sinner was without doubt the standout player in the first week of the tournament. Speaking after his opening win, BBC commentator John Lloyd said he was ‘impossible to play against’.

In the fourth round his promising run threatened to implode as an inspired Grigor Dimitrov played Sinner off the court, taking a two-set lead before he was forced to retire through injury. Sinner advanced but not unscathed, suffering an injury scare of his own.

An MRI scan on a rest-day showed the problem was serious but Sinner, who served a doping ban earlier in the year, was able to hit before his quarter-final with Ben Shelton and, barring one grimace of pain, looked at ease as he thumped the American big-server in straight sets.

It was a brilliant display from Sinner, who served superbly and made one of the most talented players in the game look fairly ordinary from the baseline. In other words, normal service had resumed.

Having beaten Djokovic in their last four matches – including by straight sets at last month’s French Open – Sinner is the favourite to progress to the final, belief growing that the world number one will end his wait for a maiden Wimbledon title and become a four-time Grand Slam champion.

Tim Henman certainly views Sinner as the superior player to his semi-final opponent, with the former British number saying: ‘Jannik goes into that match as the favourite. It’s mouth-watering but Djokovic needs to raise his game and he will know that.’

Novak Djokovic

A seven-time champion here, Djokovic is two wins away from equalling Federer’s record for the most titles at the All England Club. He has already broken Federer’s record for the most semi-finals at Wimbledon – this will be his 14th in total. But the 38-year-old has his eyes on an even bigger prize – a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

There were blips on his way to the semis – a set dropped unnecessarily in his opener against Alexandre Muller, who has never reached round three of a slam – and a shocking 6-1 at the hands of Alex de Minaur in what John McEnroe described as Djokovic’s ‘worst set in years’. He even went behind in his quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli, the 23-year-old Italian competing at that stage of a slam for the first time.

In some extended rallies Djokovic has looked his age – breathing deeply between points while his younger opponent bounces on the spot, already primed for the next – but in truth Djokovic has never looked in serious danger of a premature exit. At times it has even felt like he was playing with his opponents, fully aware they are unable to go toe-to-toe with one of the best in history over five sets on his favourite tennis court in the world.

That attitude will not be tolerated by Sinner, tipped by Andy Roddick to become ‘one of the best players of all time’, but Djokovic can go to another level ahead of what will be by far his biggest challenge. The issue, of course, is so can Sinner.

Djokovic has played down concerns over his fitness and will need to be at peak physical condition to compete with Sinner, providing the Italian is also fully fit and pain-free. The Serbian legend called a medical timeout in his opening match and has regularly taken time to go through a range of stretches at changeovers. A shocking slip beyond the baseline at the end of his match against Cobolli drew gasps from the Centre Court crowd but Djokovic has suggested he is good to go for the semi-final.

It’s generally accepted that, as of July 2025, Sinner is a marginally better tennis player than Djokovic. The all-time great will have to draw on 22-years of experience and know-how to keep his Wimbledon dreams alive in what could be his Last Dance in SW19. While Sinner is the favourite, it should be noted that several pundits – including McEnroe, Andy Roddick and John Isner – are backing the veteran.

Djokovic, once a pantomime villain at Wimbledon, can also find inspiration from the crowd who will be in his corner, having often rooted against him in the past. But even that might not be enough to see him through.

Prediction: Jannik Sinner to beat Novak Djokovic in five sets