Djokovic survives scare to reach Wimbledon quarters, Sinner in action
Fresh from his 100th win at Wimbledon on Saturday -- making him the third player to achieve that feat after Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer -- Djokovic reached his 16th quarter-final at the tournament.
Aged 38, Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th major title, breaking a tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and a record-equalling eighth men's crown at the All England Club.
That would make him the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era.
"It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set," Djokovic said.
"I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one."
Sixth-seeded Djokovic's 101st victory at Wimbledon came under the gaze of Federer, who was sitting in the front row of the royal box alongside his wife Mirka.
"It's probably the first time he's watching me and I've won the match," said Djokovic. "The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse.
"No, it's great, obviously, great to have Roger, a huge champion and someone that I admired and respected a lot.
"We shared the stage for so many years, and it's great to have him back."
Sinner in the groove
In the last eight, Djokovic faces Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, who defeated former Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3).
The 23-year-old will be playing in his Grand Slam quarter-final having never advanced past the third round in his seven previous appearances at the majors.
While defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is yet to consistently find his top form at the tournament, Sinner has been dominant on the grass.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who takes on Bulgarian 19th seed Grigor Dmitrov on Monday, is looking to reach his maiden Wimbledon final.
He has dropped just 17 games in his first three matches, equalling Jan Kodes' 1972 record for the lowest number of games lost on route to the Wimbledon last 16.
Iga Swiatek, a five-time major winner, has never reached a Wimbledon final but the Pole is in a strong position in the second week of the tournament after the exit of so many of the top seeds.
Although Swiatek, who plays Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the last 16, has reached only one All England Club quarter-final, she made the Bad Homburg final on grass recently and also won the Wimbledon junior title.
Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, who is just 18 years old, can reach the Wimbledon quarters for the first time if she defeats American 10th seed Emma Navarro, who ended Barbora Krejcikova's reign as champion on Saturday.
Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic reached her maiden Wimbledon quarter-final -- and first at any Grand Slam since 2021 -- with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 victory against Russian world number 17 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
History-chasing Djokovic sets up Wimbledon showdown with Sinner
The Serb won 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 against Flavio Cobolli in front of Britain's Queen Camilla on Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon last four for a record 14th time in the men's game. Earlier, three-time major champion Sinner eased pre-match injury fears to sweep past US 10th seed Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4 in an impressive display. In the women's draw, five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic both reached the semi-finals for the first time and will clash for a place in the final. Seven-time champion Djokovic was pushed hard by Italian 22nd seed Cobolli but ultimately had too much nous and craft for the 23-year-old. "It means the world to me that I'm still able at 38 to play the final stages of Wimbledon," he said on court. "Thank you for cheering for my age. I really appreciate it. It's beautiful. Makes me feel very young. "And I guess another thing that makes me feel very young is competing with youngsters like Cobolli today." The sixth seed prepared for the contest by meeting Camilla, the wife of King Charles III, who said she was keeping her "fingers crossed" for his match. She watched Djokovic from the Royal Box, along with British actor Hugh Grant. There was a collective gasp when the Serbian slipped fell awkwardly while serving for victory but he played down injury fears. "I had a nasty slip, but that's what happens when you play on the grass," he said. "I'm going to visit this subject now with my physio and hopefully I'll be well in two days." The Serb now owns the all-time record for most Wimbledon men's singles semi-final appearances, moving one clear of eight-time champion Roger Federer, who reached the last four 13 times. He has also reached a 52nd Grand Slam semi-final, extending his all-time record in the men's game. Djokovic is now within two wins of breaking his tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles for any player, man or woman. But Sinner will offer a different level of challenge. The top seed has won his past four matches against Djokovic, beating him in straight sets in the semi-finals of the recent French Open. Sinner had sparked fears he may have to pull out of the tournament after falling early in his fourth-round tie against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday. He was trailing by two sets and on the brink of a shock exit when the Bulgarian pulled a pectoral muscle while serving and had to retire. Sinner wore a protective sleeve on his right arm against Shelton and said his injury had "improved a lot" after his practice was curtailed on Tuesday. Carlos Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals at Wimbledon, takes on US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in Friday's other semi-final. 'Dream come true' Attention will switch Thursday to the women's semi-finals. Eighth seed Swiatek said she had "goosebumps" after her 6-2, 7-5 win against Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. The Polish former world number one has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. "It feels great. Even though I'm in the middle of the tournament I've already got goosebumps after this win. I'm super happy and super proud of myself and I'll keep going," she said. She faces Switzerland's Bencic, who shocked Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2). The 28-year-old had a daughter, Bella, in April 2024, but has already risen back up to 35 in the world since returning from maternity leave. "It's crazy, it's unbelievable. It's a dream come true. I tried not to think about it at the match point. I'm just speechless," Bencic said. World number one Aryna Sabalenka plays American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova in the other women's semi-final on Thursday.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Sinner felt Wimbledon bid was in doubt after elbow injury
Sinner wore a protective sleeve on his right arm after suffering the elbow problem in an awkward fall during his last-16 match against Grigor Dimitrov. The Italian world number one looked in discomfort at times in the Court One clash with Shelton, but he battled through to the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second time. The 23-year-old beat the American 10th seed 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-4 and will face seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster semi-final on Friday. It was a relief to the three-time Grand Slam champion to make it through after he had cancelled a scheduled practice session on Tuesday to go for an MRI scan on his elbow. "Yesterday I played 20 minutes without serving and not hitting 100 percent," he said. "But in another way, I always try to put myself in the position at least to go out there and try. I had quite good feelings in the warm-up today. "So I felt also yesterday that mentally I have to get ready. I put into my mind that I'm going to play today. "So the concerns were not that big if I would play or not. It was just a matter of what my percentage is. Today was very high, so I'm happy." Any concerns that the injury would hinder Sinner were dispelled during a first set in which he dropped just one point in six service games. Sinner needed just two hours and 19 minutes to dispatch Shelton as he stepped up his bid for a fourth successive Grand Slam final appearance. The top seed revealed he had invested in a new pair of shoes to try and prevent another slip on the grass. "I played with completely new shoes to have more grip," he said. "I haven't even practised. They were completely new, which usually on other surfaces I don't do. "Of course, on grass the main priority is to have lots of grip. So yeah, have to get used to it." Sinner will be facing Djokovic for the ninth time and he holds a 5-4 edge over the 24-time Grand Slam champion. He won in straight sets in the French Open semi-finals recently, although Djokovic has won their two meetings on grass at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023. "Me and Novak, we know each other better because we played quite a lot. So we understand what's working and what's not," he said. "But yeah, I've never won against him here in Wimbledon, so it's going to be a very, very tough challenge."
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Djokovic reaches record 14th Wimbledon semi-final
The Serb, chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam singles crown, was given the royal seal of approval by Britain's Queen Camilla before his 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win on Centre Court. The seven-time champion was pushed hard by the Italian 22nd seed but ultimately had too much for the 23-year-old, who had never previously been beyond the third round of a major. Djokovic said Wimbledon was the "most special tournament" in the sport as he was cheered by the crowd. "And of course, it means the world to me that I'm still still able at 38 to play the final stages of Wimbledon," he said. "Thank you for cheering for my age. I really appreciate it. It's beautiful. Makes me feel very young. "And I guess another thing that makes me feel very young is competing with youngsters, you know, like Cobolli today -- he's who knows how many years younger than me." The sixth seed prepared for the contest by meeting Camilla, the wife of King Charles III, who said she was keeping her "fingers crossed" for his match. She watched Djokovic from the Royal Box, along with British actor Hugh Grant. Cobolli showed early intent, mixing up his play with drop shots and heavy groundstrokes from his flashing orange racquet and unsettling his illustrious opponent. Djokovic, who has reached every Wimbledon final since 2018, served for the first set at 5-3 but the Italian broke back and won the ensuing tie-break. Cobolli, who has claimed titles in Bucharest and Hamburg this year, next had to answer the question of whether he could sustain his level against the 24-time Grand Slam champion. But it was a different story in the second set as Djokovic broke twice to level the match in the evening sunshine. The pair swapped service breaks early in the third set but Djokovic pounced again in the 11th game and thundered an ace as he took control of the match. The fourth set was tight but Cobolli failed to put away a simple winner at the net in the ninth game. Slip Djokovic slipped and fell awkwardly when serving for the match, grimacing in pain, but got up to finish the job. He played down the incident in his on-court interview. "I had a nasty slip, but that's what happens when you play on the grass," he said. "It did come at an awkward moment, but somehow I managed to find a good serve and close it out. Obviously, I'm going to visit this subject now with my physio and hopefully I'll be well in two days." The Serb now owns the all-time record for most Wimbledon men's singles semi-final appearances, moving one clear of eight-time champion Roger Federer, who reached the last four 13 times. He has also reached a 52nd Grand Slam semi-final, extending his all-time record in the men's game. Djokovic is now within two wins of breaking his tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles for any player, man or woman. If he reaches and wins Sunday's final he will also equal Federer's record of eight men's titles at the All England Club. Sinner, who beat 10th seed Ben Shelton earlier Wednesday, will offer a different level of challenge. The top seed has won his past four matches against Djokovic, beating him in straight sets in the semi-finals of the recent French Open. Carlos Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals at Wimbledon, takes on US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the other semi-final on Friday. © 2025 AFP
