Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner on course for a date in the semis?

New York Times

3 days ago

Follow our analysis and reactions from day eight at Wimbledon as Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic moved into the quarterfinals Getty Images
Day eight is complete as the second week begins at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
Men's top seed Jannik Sinner (1) advanced to the last eight after 19th seed Grigor Dimitrov, 34, had to withdraw due to a cruel injury on Centre Court despite being two sets up and close to a stunning victory.
Earlier, there were wins for U.S. star Ben Shelton (10), Novak Djokovic (6), Mirra Andreeva (7), Iga Świątek (8), Liudmila Samsonova (19), Flavio Cobolli (22) and Belinda Bencic to reach the quarters at SW19. Get involved: [e-mail]
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Grigor Dimitrov forced to retire hurt one set from beating Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon Getty Images
The comparisons between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic started in the pre-Covid-19 days.
Sinner has moved through the tournament so far without much incident — Sinner lost just 17 games in his first three matches, breaking a record of 19 previously held by Roger Federer.
Meanwhile in his third round match, Djokovic put in a a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 demolition of Miomir Kecmanović.
It puts them on course for an increasingly likely showdown in the semi-final on July 11.
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Why Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner's tennis rivalry is also a conversation
As the players head out onto the courts for the first matches of the day, here's a couple of the matches starting now... No. 2 Court: Marin Čilić vs. Flavio Cobolli (22) — Men's singles fourth round
No. 3 Court: Julian Cash (GBR) / Lloyd Glasspool (GBR) [5]vs. Guido Andreozzi (ARG) / Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) — Men's doubles third round
A very good morning everyone from a sunny Wimbledon.
It's nearly time for the morning matches to get underway on the outdoor courts, so join us for all the updates from across SW19 this morning.
As a reminder, matches on the outdoor courts begin at 11 a.m. BST (6 a.m. ET) and then at 1 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) on No. 1 Court, before the showpiece Centre Court action begins half an hour later.
Well, after some pretty heavy rain overnight here in London the clouds are lifting the the sun is breaking through just in time for commence of play.
It's still pretty damp underfoot but the covers have been on the outdoor courts here which means we should be good to go in just over 10 minutes' time.
And the good news is, it looks set to stay clear out there for the rest of the day with the forecast showing temperatures of up to 21 degrees. Lovely!
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova suggested her British opponent may have received preferential treatment as simmering tensions around Wimbledon's use of electronic line calling (ELC) instead of line judges boiled over Sunday, when the technology malfunctioned at a crucial point on Centre Court.
Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was serving at 4-4, Ad-40 in the first set of her fourth-round match against Britain's Sonay Kartal, when Kartal hit a backhand that clearly bounced out.
There was no call from the ELC, which replaced line judges for the first time in Wimbledon's 148-year history. Pavlyuchenkova was waiting for the call, and umpire Nico Helwerth stopped the point before an automated sound saying 'stop, stop' could be heard.
After a lengthy break while he spoke to tournament officials, Helwerth explained to the players and the Centre Court crowd that the technology had not been working during the point, which meant it would be replayed.
This was despite television footage confirming that Kartal's shot had been well long, and that the point and the game should have been Pavlyuchenkova's.
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Wimbledon electronic line calling: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova loses game after system 'deactivated' Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz has won almost everything there is to win in tennis, but he has spent most of 2025 going after one of the sport's least desirable accolades: being labeled a serve bot.
The term was coined to describe giants such as John Isner of the U.S. and Croatia's Ivo Karlović, who were perceived as being able to do little other than bang down big serves from their close-to-seven-feet frames.
Alcaraz turning it into something aspirational reflects two wider trends in tennis. The first is the reclamation of the term by a new generation of players, all of whom like to log their speed-gun readings, but also want to win the biggest prizes in the sport.
The second is that being a serve bot, and having a faster serve than everybody else, is no longer the most important edge in men's tennis.
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Why tennis serve bots, on the verge of extinction, star in their twilight at Wimbledon
Missed any of Sunday's action from Wimbledon? Check out the Tennis Podcast for some more terrific analysis.
Today's men's singles matches in the round of 16: Marin Čilić vs. Flavio Cobolli (22), 11 a.m. BST, 6 a.m. ET, Court 2
Alex de Minaur (6) vs. Novak Djokovic (11), 1:30 p.m. BST, 8:30 a.m. ET, Centre Court
Ben Shelton (10) vs. Lorenzo Sonego, 2:10 p.m. BST, 9:10 a.m. ET, Court 1
Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Grigor Dimitrov, 4:20 p.m. BST, 11:20 a.m. ET, Centre Court
Wimbledon's second-biggest and second-most important court, with a seating capacity of 12,345 (singer Lou Bega's ears have perked up).
Opened in 1997, it was renovated in 2019 and has a retractable roof.
Due on it today: Ekaterina Alexandrova [18] vs. Belinda Bencic, Ben Shelton [10] vs. Lorenzo Sonego, and Iga Świątek [8] vs. Clara Tauson [23].
Arguably, it's the most famous tennis court in the world.
It is the main showpiece court, only ever used at the Wimbledon Championships (apart from the 2012 London Olympic Games), and has a capacity of 14,979.
Distinguished guests sit in the Royal Box, with a 3,000-tonne retractable roof installed in 2009.
The inscription above the entrance quotes Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If': 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.'
Wise words for anyone playing on it. Getty Images
There is some serious history behind the trophies received by the two Wimbledon singles champions.
The men's singles trophy was first presented in 1887 — cup-shaped and standing 18 inches high, with a diameter of seven-and-a-half inches.
A for the women's singles trophy, that was first presented a year earlier — dish-shaped with a mythological theme, it is known as the Rosewater Dish or Venus Rosewater Dish.
The winner of both will receive a three-quarter size replica bearing the names of all past champions. Getty Images
This year at Wimbledon the singles champions take home a pretty tasty prize pot.
Both the men's and women's singles champion will win an equal prize pot of £3million each.
That would set up the summer pretty nicely ...
At the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), better known as Wimbledon, grounds staff have 88 grass courts across three venues to maintain.
The 18 match courts at Wimbledon are quiet until the tournament starts, but three miles to north-west, the 34 courts at the qualifying tournament complex in Roehampton were full of players aiming to make the draw ahead of the main event.
Then there are the 16 extra practice courts at AELTC Community Centre in Raynes Park, and the 20 practice courts at Wimbledon itself, which have all been in use since June 23.
Plus, there's the added task of maintaining flowers in borders and general planting around the site. It's a mammoth task. Getty Images
In the UK, all of the action will be shown on the BBC.
In the U.S., you can watch Wimbledon on ESPN and ESPN2, with select matches on ABC. Streaming: Fubo (try for free) Getty Images
As ever, the first matches are set to get underway at 11 a.m. BST, local time in the UK, which is 6 a.m. ET and 3 a.m. PT on the east and west coast of the United States, respectively.
Today's women's singles matches in the round of 16: Liudmila Samsonova (19) vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 12:40 p.m. BST, 7:40 a.m. ET, Court 2
Ekaterina Alexandrova (18) vs. Belinda Bencic, 1 p.m. BST, 8 a.m. ET, Court 2
Mirra Andreeva (7) vs. Emma Navarro (10), 3:10 p.m. BST, 10:10 a.m. ET, Centre Court
Iga Świątek (8) vs. Clara Tauson (23), 3:50 p.m. BST, 10:50 a.m. ET, Court 1 Getty Images
There was plenty of interesting action yesterday, including two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advancing to the quarterfinals.
Andrey Rublev put up plenty of fight and won the first set, but every time he had Alcaraz in trouble, the second seed had an answer. The same was true of women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who took out Elise Mertens in two hard-fought sets.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova both advanced: Fritz in a walkover against Jordan Thompson and Anisimova in three tough sets against Linda Nosková.
Cameron Norrie is the only British hopeful alive in the singles after he outlasted Nicolás Jarry in five thrilling sets.
They will all play Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Athletic
If you're a tennis fan — and you love a plethora of other sports — there is no better place to follow all your favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic.
From the UK, we've got you covered throughout a jam-packed summer of sport, including the Women's Euros as the Lionesses look to defend their crown in the football, and in the U.S., the closing rounds of the Club World Cup are compelling viewing.
Plus, the F1 calendar continues, and Open Championship golf is on the way soon too. We have all that covered and much more, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience.
And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer right here. Getty Images
Great question.
So much to catch up on.
And if you fancy reliving the action as it happened, play by play, you can do so by clicking here to access The Athletic 's live coverage from the seventh day at SW19.
Enjoy!