World number one Jannik Sinner has assured fans he will be fully fit for Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final against Novak Djokovic, despite suffering an elbow injury earlier in the week.
The 23-year-old Italian took a fall in the opening game of his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday and required a medical time-out for treatment. Although he went two sets down, Sinner advanced after Dimitrov was forced to retire due to injury.
To manage the strain, Sinner limited himself to a light 20-minute practice session on Tuesday and played his quarter-final against Ben Shelton with strapping and a protective sleeve on his racquet arm. The only visible sign of discomfort came when he grimaced and shook out his arm while returning one of Shelton’s powerful serves in the second set.
“The pain is getting better,” Sinner told BBC Sport. “I played today with some painkillers which helped me to get through. Returning fast serves is not easy. But yes, it’s not something crazy serious because if not I would be much more concerned. Time will always help and [Thursday] is one day off, which is going to be good for me, and Friday I’m going to be 100%.”
The Italian, who is bidding to reach his first Wimbledon final, has beaten Djokovic in their last four meetings — including their French Open semi-final five weeks ago. However, Djokovic has come out on top in both of their previous Wimbledon clashes: the 2022 quarter-finals and 2023 semi-finals.
“Me and Novak, we know each other better because we have played quite a lot,” said Sinner. “I’ve never won against him here in Wimbledon so it’s going to be a very, very tough challenge.”
To prevent further slipping incidents, Sinner also revealed he opted for brand new shoes against Shelton, prioritising grip on the grass surface.
“I played with completely new shoes to have more grip,” he explained. “I haven’t even played practice in them. It was completely new, which usually on other surfaces I don’t do. On grass the main priority is to have lots of grip so I have to get used to it.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic also suffered a scare in his own quarter-final win over Italian Flavio Cobolli. While serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, he slipped and fell awkwardly, prompting concern among spectators. He appeared shaken but quickly recovered to close out the match.
“There is a concern, but we’ll see in the next 24 to 48 hours. It was an awkward, nasty fall,” Djokovic told BBC Sport. “I’m going to address it with my team and hope that severity is not too bad.”
The seven-time Wimbledon champion’s victory marked a record-breaking 14th men’s singles semi-final appearance at the All England Club, surpassing Roger Federer’s tally of 13. It was also his 52nd Grand Slam semi-final overall — extending his own men’s record.
Despite his decorated past, Djokovic knows the challenge Sinner presents.
“I am just trying to focus on my recovery right now and getting my body in shape for a very physical battle,” he said. “Hopefully I can deliver the level and be able to stay with him because it’s going to take the best of me at the moment to beat Jannik. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now — just getting myself physically and mentally in the right state so I can fight with him for as long as it’s necessary.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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