mtenis.com.pl

Three-time champion faces Sinner in record-extending 51st Grand Slam semi-final

Novak Djokovic defeats Alexander Zverev in four sets Wednesday evening in Paris.
© Peter Staples/ATP Tour

by Jerome Coombe

Roland Garros — Jun 04

Novak Djokovic issued a statement performance Wednesday evening at Roland Garros, where he rallied past last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev to send a reminder of his continued prowess at the top of the game.

The 38-year-old Serbian delivered a tactically astute display to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and reach a record-extending 51st Grand Slam semi-final. In a bid to disrupt Zverev’s typically sound baseline play, Djokovic successfully deployed a more varied approach to run away with the match and improve to 9-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the German.

“Especially during the last game, my tactic was just to play drop shots,” said Djokovic. “So I played three or four in a row… Maybe you can’t see it on TV, but there is a lot of wind from one side, so it gives the sensation that you must hit twice as hard. It was important to vary the game.”


After suffering consecutive opening-round defeats to start the clay-court swing, Djokovic has rediscovered his best form at the perfect time in his quest for a record 25th major trophy. Djokovic arrived at Roland Garros fresh from winning his 100th tour-level title in Geneva, and is now on a nine-match winning streak.

With his 101st victory at the clay-court major, three-time champion Djokovic set a semi-final meeting with top seed Jannik Sinner, who earlier eased past Alexander Bublik in straight sets. Djokovic's Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sinner is level at 4-4, but Djokovic has lost three consecutive meetings to the Italian.


Djokovic was forced to retire from his semi-final clash with Zverev at the Australian Open in January due to a muscle tear in his left leg, but he made amends with an assured quarter-final showing in Paris.

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic is chasing his first major title since the 2023 US Open. Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion at Roland Garros, and Sinner, between them, have won each of the five that followed.

Zverev was aiming to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals for a fifth consecutive year, though he was unable to produce a response to the barrage of drop shots used by Djokovic, who is into the last four in the French capital for the 13th time.

In an attempt to shake off the fast start from Zverev, who stormed to a 2-0 lead, Djokovic opted for an early racquet change, which appeared to have worked when the Serbian grew into the encounter. He came alive in the eighth game, firing a trademark open-stance backhand pass to carve out his first break point, but Zverev held firm after a gruelling baseline exchange to stay in control.

It All Adds Up

Competing in heavy conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, both players struggled to hit through each other, but Zverev was able to use his serve to his advantage during the first set. He dropped just one of 18 points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys Stats, and fittingly closed the opener with his first ace of the match.

After surrendering his first set of the tournament, Djokovic responded with a more varied approach to his game. He countered Zverev’s heavy hitting with his own exquisite touch throughout the second set, highlighted by two drop shots struck in a thrilling set point to level the clash.

Djokovic continued to stand by his game plan throughout the third and fourth sets, aiming to shorten the points and drag Zverev into various cat-and-mouse exchanges at the net. Yet he was also willing to engage in gruelling baseline rallies, and that tactical awareness was the difference maker that helped Djokovic remain composed in the latter stages against a late charge from Zverev.

This was underscored by an absorbing 41-shot rally — in which they ran over 200 metres between them — to save break point in the sixth game of the fourth set. Djokovic ultimately converted his fifth match point to seal victory after three hours, 18 minutes.

“Evidently there was a lot of pressure at the end, Zverev has been one of the best players in the world over the past six years,” said Djokovic. “Matches like this tonight are the reason why I still want to play and compete.”

Relive the pair’s eight tour-level matches

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
© ATP Tour/Getty Images

by ATP Staff

Rivalries — Jun 05

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will face off Friday in a blockbuster first meeting at Roland Garros. The pair’s semi-final at the clay major, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. CEST/1 p.m. EDT, will be the latest chapter in an intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

From their most recent meeting in Shanghai last year to their first clash on the Monte-Carlo clay in 2021, ATPTour.com reflects on the first eight instalments of the Djokovic-Sinner rivalry.


Rolex Shanghai Masters, 2024 F, Djokovic d Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3
From a 1-4 deficit, Sinner levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Djokovic at 4-4 with a commanding championship-match display at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters. In the pair’s first Masters 1000 meeting since their opening clash in Monte-Carlo three years earlier, the Italian did not blink en route to clinching his seventh tour-level trophy of that season.

Sinner, who had already clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, inflicted Djokovic’s first defeat in five Shanghai finals to reinforce the momentum swing in the pair’s rivalry. It was perhaps the Serbian himself who best summarised the elevation in Sinner’s level across a 2024 season in which the Italian ended with a 73-6 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“He's just very aggressive from the baseline, as soon as he's got a shorter ball, he's taking the initiative,” said the defeated Serbian. “Just very solid from forehand and backhand, doesn't make too many mistakes, and just tries to take away the time from the opponent.

“That's something that reminds me of myself throughout my career, that's what I've done for so many years consistently, playing fast-paced tennis, taking away time from the opponent, kind of suffocating the opponent, in a certain way. You want your opponent to always feel under pressure from your shots, from your speed, from your presence on the court. So he's got that. This year he's been so consistent. It's really, really impressive.”



Australian Open, 2024 SF, Sinner d Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3
Sinner took the chance to notch back-to-back victories against Djokovic for the first time with aplomb at the 2024 Australian Open. In a stunning, largely one-sided encounter, Sinner outmanoeuvred the record 10-time champion Djokovic from the baseline to charge into his first Grand Slam championship match.

After an uncharacteristically flat start, Djokovic hinted at the start of a trademark Grand Slam comeback by clinching the third-set tie-break. Yet Sinner quickly banished any thoughts of a repeat of his 2022 Wimbledon loss from two sets up with a commanding fourth-set showing that secured his win. The Italian later acknowledged that his late-season encounters with Djokovic in 2023 had set the stage for snapping the Serbian’s 33-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.

"For me was a huge privilege end of last year to play against him three times in 10 days, because obviously you can practise with him, but the match is always different,” said Sinner. “So I feel like this for sure helped me in one way, but in the other way, Grand Slams are also mentally different. I just tried to play also as relaxed as possible but also having the right game plan in my mind. I think today it worked really well."

It All Adds Up

Davis Cup, 2023 SF, Sinner d. Djokovic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Sinner and Djokovic contested their third tour-level meeting in the space of 10 days when Italy and Serbia both advanced to the 2023 Davis Cup semi-finals. The tennis world readied for another high-stakes showdown between the No. 1 players from both countries.

With Serbia holding a 1-0 lead in the tie, Djokovic was on the brink of sending his country to the final when he brought up three match points at 4-5, 0/40 in the final set. But Sinner served his way out of trouble and — buoyed by his new lease on life in the competition — won the final three games of the match to level the tie at 1-1.

"It was a roller coaster," said Sinner, who later teamed with Lorenzo Sonego in a decisive doubles win for Italy against Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic. "I was starting off really well. Second set he played much better than me. Third set I tried to serve really well, and also on match points down I served well."

Nitto ATP Finals, 2023 F, Djokovic d. Sinner 6-3, 6-3
Five days earlier, Djokovic had completed a swift revenge job against Sinner in Turin, where he rebounded from a group-stage loss to the Italian with a near-flawless match to win his record-breaking seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown.

The Serbian served his way to an early advantage, losing just two points in his first seven service games behind pinpoint deliveries. The World No. 1 was on the front foot in almost every rally, making a concerted effort to attack and play the match on his terms.

But the tension arrived in the second set when Sinner, urged on by the Turin crowd, created two break points to level the set. Djokovic once again leaned on strong serving to escape, and he then held off one final charge from the Italian to secure a hugely satisfying title.

"To crown it with a win against a hometown hero in Jannik, who has played amazing tennis this week, is phenomenal," Djokovic said after breaking a tie with Roger Federer for most trophies at the season finale. "I think I played different tactically than I did in the group stage against Jannik, and just overall it was a phenomenal week.”



Nitto ATP Finals, 2023 RR, Sinner d. Djokovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2)
By late 2023, Sinner had established himself as the form player on Tour, and he entered that year’s Nitto ATP Finals having won 25 of his past 29 matches. After defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening round-robin match in Turin, Sinner carried his momentum through for a maiden victory against Djokovic in the pair's fourth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Sinner, roared on by his adoring home crowd, led for much of the match, including at 4-2 in the final set, but a decisive tie-break was required to separate the fierce competitors. Sinner, who won nine straight points to claim the opening set, once again found his best tennis down the stretch of the third set to claim a hard-earned victory.

"I think I was really brave and intelligent in important moments, especially the third set," said Sinner, who produced some of his biggest ground strokes of the match under pressure in the final-set tie-break.

"It means a lot to me. When you win against the World No. 1, who has won 24 Grand Slams, it's obviously in the top [of my career results]... I felt like it was a really tactical match, and I managed to win, so I'm very happy."



Wimbledon, 2023 SF, Djokovic d. Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4)
Wimbledon was the setting for Sinner and Djokovic’s second and third Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. In the 2023 semi-finals, there was little of the drama from the pair’s 2022 five-set clash as Djokovic produced a commanding semi-final display to maintain his dominance over his young rival.

Chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title, Djokovic saved all six break points he faced, including two that doubled as set points for Sinner in the third set. His grass-court nous proved too much for Sinner, who was competing in his first major semi-final.

“In the semi-finals, it was always going to be a very tense, very close match,” Djokovic said after his 34th consecutive Wimbledon win, a run that later came to an end against Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set championship match. “Three very close sets. I think the scoreline maybe doesn’t give the reality of what was happening on the court. It was super close."

Wimbledon, 2022 QF, Djokovic d Sinner 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
In the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals, Sinner provided an almighty scare to an opponent who had not lost a match at SW19 since 2017, but he was ultimately unable to capitalise on a two-set lead in what was just his ninth tour-level match on grass.

Djokovic, who had led 4-1 in the opening set before finding himself on the brink of a shock exit to the World No. 13, later attributed his comeback to taking a long, hard look in the mirror.

"He was the better player for the first two sets," reflected Djokovic on his comeback victory. "I went out and had a refresh, had a toilet break, I had a little pep talk to myself in the mirror, it's the truth. Sometimes in these circumstances when not much is happening positively for you, sometimes these things are necessary. A little break to try and regather the thoughts and reassemble."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jann ... ew'>Jannik Sinner</a>/<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>
Djokovic celebrates after rallying past Sinner in the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals. Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, 2021 R2, Djokovic d Sinner 6-4, 6-2
Even at 19 years old, Sinner had already made a significant impact prior to the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Italian had picked up two ATP 250 titles, reached the 2020 Roland Garros quarter-finals and established himself as one of the most promising young players on Tour. Yet Sinner, who arrived in the Principality after reaching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami, was given a chastening first experience of taking on then-World No. 1 Djokovic.

Djokovic eased to a 94-minute second-round victory, in which he broke Sinner’s serve five times, at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Sinner, who himself was competing at a career-high No. 22 in the PIF ATP Rankings, was later asked what he had found most difficult when trying to lay a glove on Djokovic.

“Maybe that every ball is coming back,” answered the teenager. “I think that's difficult. He's moving good, especially in the important points. He's serving good. He's making the right decisions on important points. I think that's the most difficult part.”