LONDON — At least Novak Djokovic found the humor in the situation.
He experienced what he described as a “clumsy slip” during his second match point at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Yes, he slid into a split and ended up face-first on the lush Centre Court grass. And yes, such incidents aren’t ideal for a 38-year-old aiming for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title.
Nevertheless, Djokovic picked himself up and secured the next two points, making it to the semifinals at the All England Club for a remarkable 14th time, putting down No. 22 seed Flavio Cobolli with a score of 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, setting the stage for a clash against No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
“I managed to finish the match,” Djokovic chuckled. “The slip came at a bit of an awkward moment, but I found a way to close it out. I’ll definitely consult with my physio now and hope to be in good shape in two days.”
That’s when he’ll face three-time major champion Sinner, who, despite battling an injured right elbow, showcased impressive serving and his signature powerful forehand to defeat 10th-seeded Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Djokovic, who has lost his last four encounters against Sinner, including in the French Open semifinals last month. “It’s going to be an exciting matchup.”
Djokovic holds a 2-0 record against Sinner at Wimbledon, having eliminated him in the 2023 semifinals and the 2022 quarterfinals.
Against Cobolli—a fellow 23-year-old from Italy—Djokovic’s late-match tumble was just one part of a rollercoaster contest. He served for the first set at 5-3 but was broken without winning a point. Moments later, he was a single point away from claiming that set before Cobolli rallied.
Throughout the match, Djokovic engaged in stretches and breathing techniques during changeovers. He even playfully smacked his shoe with his racket following an error in the fourth set, appearing slightly distracted by the glaring sun over Centre Court.
Still, he showcased his vast skills, racking up 13 aces, dominating in 19 of 21 service games, employing a drop-shot-lob-drop-shot tactic to win points, and minimizing his unforced errors to 22—half compared to Cobolli’s total.
On Friday, Djokovic aims to reach his seventh consecutive final at the All England Club and inch closer to equaling Roger Federer’s record of eight trophies there. The other men’s semifinal features two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who has defeated Djokovic in the finals of both 2023 and 2024, going against Taylor Fritz.
In the women’s semifinals Thursday, it’s Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova, and Iga Swiatek taking on Belinda Bencic.
During his matchup against Shelton on No. 1 Court, Sinner sported a white sleeve on his right arm, with visible strips of tape—one above and one below the elbow—after injuring himself during the opening point of his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
Sinner, who was the runner-up to Alcaraz at Roland-Garros, underwent an MRI on Tuesday and initially canceled a practice session. However, he managed a brief 20-minute practice later indoors.
“In a tense match, you try not to think about it,” Sinner said. “It has improved significantly from yesterday to today.”
He played as if unbothered, winning 27 of 29 service points in the first set while amassing a total of 15 winners to only one unforced error.
“You can’t approach a match assuming the opponent won’t be at full strength,” Shelton remarked. “His shots were coming off strong today; I didn’t notice any issues.”
Shelton kept up with Sinner until 2-all in the tiebreaker, where Sinner surged ahead, capitalizing on a double fault and four consecutive forehand errors by Shelton.
At the start of the second set, Shelton finally made strides in a return game, earning two break points at 15-40.
On one opportunity, Sinner hit a forehand winner. On the other, he blasted a 132 mph serve—his fastest of the match—and rushed to the net, eventually bringing the score to deuce when Shelton’s attempted backhand pass went into the net. Following that, Sinner fired a 118 mph ace and a 125 mph service winner.
These represented Shelton’s only break chances.
