Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has explained why Jannik Sinner holds an 'advantage' over Novak Djokovic ahead of their Wimbledon semi-final. The world No. 1 and defending champion Sinner faces one of the greatest players in history for a place in Sunday's final at the All England Club.
Sinner's smooth path to the semi-finals
Sinner eased into the semi-finals with a straight-set victory over Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday. The Italian has not dropped a set since his opening-round tussle with Miomir Kecmanovic, though he has not been at his blistering best throughout the tournament.
Djokovic's grueling quarter-final
Djokovic, who turned 39 just months ago, was pushed to the limit in his quarter-final against third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, eventually winning 10-8 in a fifth-set tie-break after a match lasting more than five hours. The Serbian legend now has two days to recover before his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam.
BBC commentator Rusedski believes the physical toll of that match may have dashed Djokovic's hopes against Sinner on Friday. 'I'm not on the fence on this,' he said on The Off Court podcast. 'I'm putting myself on the line. I called Djokovic to win a 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but he has just used up too much energy.'
Rusedski's analysis
'Djokovic can't go backhand to backhand as he did against Auger-Aliassime. Yes, he's going to try to break down the forehand. Sinner's going to get that work in. He's going to clean it up. He's going to be focused,' Rusedski added. 'He hasn't won a major this year. He hasn't been to the final of a major yet this year. And on top of that, with Novak, I just can't see it after this brutal match that happened.'
Rusedski questioned how Djokovic can recover in 48 hours: 'How can he recover? The next forty eight hours, you know, is he allowed an IV? Is he gonna take ice baths? How's he gonna get his body ready? He's definitely not hitting any tennis balls whatsoever tomorrow. Tomorrow's just recovery, recovery, recovery. And if he can bounce back, the tennis is there. But I've got to give the advantage now to Jannik Sinner just because of the physical match he's played.'
Sinner's perspective
Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in last year's semi-final, expects a 'very tough match.' 'I feel like every match (against Novak) is different,' he said. 'Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match has really its own story. Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or not feeling the ball very well, it's going to be very, very tough.'
'In any case, I'm happy to be back in the semis. I'm happy to fight for every ball, then we see. He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I'm looking forward to it,' Sinner added.
