Former British No1 Greg Rusedski has explained why Jannik Sinner has an ‘advantage’ over Novak Djokovic ahead of their tantalising Wimbledon semi-final.
The number one player in the world faces one of the greatest players in history for a place in Sunday’s final at the All England Club.
Sinner, the defending champion, eased into the semi-finals with a straight-set victory over Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday.
The Italian has not looked at his blistering best so far at SW19, but has not dropped a set since his opening-round tussle with Miomir Kecmanovic.
Djokovic, meanwhile, has been forced to dig deep and grind out victories to reach yet another Wimbledon semi-final just months after turning 39.
The Serbian legend was pushed all the way in his quarter-final by third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, eventually prevailing in a fifth-set tie-break after a thrilling encounter that lasted more than five hours.
Djokovic now has two days to recover before resuming his bid to win a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam.
But BBC commentator Rusedski believes that the gruelling nature of Djokovic’s last-eight match may have dashed his hopes of pulling off the upset against Sinner on Friday.
‘I’m not on the fence on this,’ he said on The Off Court podcast. ‘I’m putting myself on the line. I called Djokovic to win a 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but he has just used up too much energy.
‘Djokovic can’t go backhand to backhand as he did against Auger-Aliassime. Yes, he’s going to try to break down the forehand. Sinner’s going to get that work in. He’s going to clean it up. He’s going to be focused.
‘He hasn’t won a major this year. He hasn’t been to the final of a major yet this year. And on top of that, with Novak, I just can’t see it after this brutal match that happened.’
Rusedski continued: ‘How can he recover? The next forty eight hours, you know, is he allowed an IV? Is he gonna take ice baths? How’s he gonna get his body ready? He’s definitely not hitting any tennis balls whatsoever tomorrow.
‘Tomorrow’s just recovery, recovery, recovery. And if he can bounce back, the tennis is there. But I’ve got to give the advantage now to Jannik Sinner just because of the physical match he’s played.
‘Can he bounce back at 39 years young? If he does, he’s got a shot. But I don’t know if the body will allow him to perform in the manner that he wants to.’
Who will reach the Wimbledon final on Sunday?
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Jannik Sinner
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Novak Djokovic
Meanwhile, Sinner insisted that he is expecting a ‘very tough match’ against Djokovic in what will be a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which the Italian won comfortably.
‘I feel like every match (against Novak) is different,’ he said. ‘Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match has really its own story.
‘Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or not feeling the ball very well, it’s going to be very, very tough.
‘In any case, I’m happy to be back in the semis. I’m happy to fight for every ball, then we see.
‘He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I’m looking forward to it.’
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