Jannik Sinner dismantles ailing Novak Djokovic to set up Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz

Irish Times

15 hours ago

When
Novak Djokovic
strode on to Centre Court for a second contest with
Jannik Sinner
in barely over a month, the narrative had long been set. This was surely one of the 24-time grand slam champion's last chances for a potential major victory, a challenge that will only become more difficult as he ages even further away from his physical peak while Sinner and
Carlos Alcaraz
move closer to their own.
For the ensuing two hours on court, Sinner made it clear just how punishing that challenge already is as he completely dismantled a weakened Djokovic, the sixth seed, with his nuclear weight of shot and unimpeachable defence as he reached the
Wimbledon
final for the first time in his career with a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win.
A month after suffering the most devastating loss of his career, holding triple championship point against Alcaraz in the French Open final before losing in five crushing sets, Sinner has shown off his mental fortitude and resilience by picking himself back up and immediately making his way through to yet another final. Sinner, the world No 1, will have a chance to avenge that defeat at the earliest possible moment as he faces Alcaraz once again after the Spaniard defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
As their combined grip on men's tennis continues to strengthen, Alcaraz and Sinner will be the second pair of players in the open era to contest the men's finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in back to back years, which Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer achieved for three consecutive years between 2006 and 2008. Sinner also extends his run of dominance over Djokovic to five straight wins and he has not lost to the 24-time grand slam champion since 2023.
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He is the sixth player in the open era to reach four consecutive men's singles grand slam finals, joining a distinguished list of all-time greats: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver. Every new grand slam tournament underlines his desperation to become a legend of the game in his own right.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic shake hands after their semi-final on Friday. Photograph:Before the match, Djokovic said he felt confident about his tennis level after their tight three set match in the French Open semi-finals. At 38 years old, his physical preparedness for a best of five set battle with the No 1 was less certain. While Sinner's bandaged elbow looked in great shape after his freakish fourth round match against Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic had skipped practice on Thursday after suffering a heavy fall on match point in his quarter-final win against Flavio Cobolli.
It was Sinner who burst into the match performing at a supreme level from the beginning and at 1-1, he put together a brilliant return game to break Djokovic's serve. Sinner looked impenetrable throughout the first hour, covering every inch of the worn grass with his perfectly timed open stance slide, able to eviscerate the ball and force himself on to attack from either ground stroke and any part of the court. He served spectacularly, too, completely shutting Djokovic out of his service game.
Between his unparalleled weight of shot off both wings, robbing time away from his opponents, and the difficulty of consistently putting the ball past him, the effect of Sinner's game on his opponents is total suffocation. From his slow start, Djokovic's hopes further cascaded. As he futilely attempted to wrestle control of the exchanges, he found himself overhitting in a futile attempt to take back control of the baseline.
In stark contrast to Sinner's spectacular court coverage, Djokovic's movement was laboured in the corners and his facial expressions ranged between misery and frustration. By 0-3 in set two, his serve completely under attack, Djokovic began to serve and volley on practically every other point.
Although he pieced together three more holds, the Serb completely ceding the baseline only served to further illustrate his woes. Down two sets in barely over an hour, Djokovic received a medical timeout for his left leg and inner thigh.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates a point against Taylor Fritz in their Wimbledon semi-final. Photograph:At the start of the new set, the momentum briefly shifted as Sinner completely lost control of his forehand and cheaply handed over his service game.
Djokovic, the master at seizing momentum, immediately took control and established a 3-0 lead but it did not last. As Sinner found his range and Djokovic's physical struggles became increasingly apparent, the Italian powered through six of the final seven games to close out an emphatic win.
In the earlier semi-final, defending champion Alcaraz ­handled the might and spite of Taylor Fritz's serve, as well as temperatures that climbed to 31 degrees, to reach his third Wimbledon final in a row.
The serve was dominant, the points short, the ­margins slim, and Alcaraz had just enough as he came through a mini-classic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
'It was a really difficult match,' the two-time Wimbledon champion said. 'Even tougher with the conditions. It was really hot again. With the pressure of a semi-final it was not easy. I was just really proud how I stayed calm, thinking clearly.'
The Spaniard is now through to his sixth grand slam final, an impressive feat, especially given he turned 22 in May. And the bad news for his opponent in the final? Alcaraz has won the ­previous five.