Wimbledon 2026: No drama for top two seeds

On Friday in the Wimbledon semi-finals, Sinner didn’t just avenge that defeat, he smothered Djokovic with the Serb’s own brand of tennis 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to come within one victory away from a second consecutive title at the All England Club.

Djokovic described the loss as “a good old blowout”, adding there was, “Nothing much I could do.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s assessment was both succinct and accurate.

In a rematch of the 2023 and 2025 Wimbledon semi-finals, Sinner dropped a mere four points on serve in the opening set, clearly showcasing his best tennis of the fortnight and giving Djokovic little opportunity to trouble him.

It took Djokovic nearly two hours before he created his first and only break point opportunity of the contest – in the fourth game of the third set – and it did little to help his cause as Sinner slammed down a 201km/hr ace to swat it away.

The Italian sealed his place in the final in 2hr 20min, tallying up 16 aces, winning 88 percent of his first-serve points, and succeeding in 17/20 points at the net.

The top-seeded defending champion is the first Italian player to reach multiple Wimbledon singles finals and he’ll take on No.2 seed and reigning Roland-Garros champion in Sunday’s title decider.

Djokovic had battled through a 5hr 15min battle against third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime three days earlier in the quarter-finals. The 39-year-old admitted Sinner was “a level or more better than I was” in the last-four clash.

Irrespective of Friday’s result, Sinner is in awe of Djokovic.

“You always feel pressure before playing against Novak,” said the 24-year-old.

“But I like it. This is what I practice for. I like challenges.

“It's so amazing to see him still producing this kind of level. The match he has played with Felix, I was watching. The level was so high. It's a true inspiration for all of us and also the younger generation, how much a good mindset can do to your body and mind as well.

“For me, he's a true inspiration. Seeing him around and having the honour to play against him, feeling the pressure against him, these matches, they hopefully can help me and also in the future. That's it.

“Every match is different, in a way, has its own story. Depends where we play and how we feel physically. I would not look a lot on head-to-heads. I think every match is different. I'm very lucky to play against Novak.”

Djokovic, an all-time great known to be one of the best returners the game has ever seen, interrupted a reporter in his post-match press conference to note that he is no longer the best returner in the game.

“Was, was,” he said with a smile. “That's the reality. Was, was.”

He then described the challenge of facing Sinner’s serve.

“You cannot attack his first serve. You can try to read it, chip it, block it, get it back in play,” he explained.

“Very unpredictable serve, great variety, great balance, great pop. He's using his height extremely well. Also second serve very deep in the box. A lot of rotation. He can go for speed. He doesn't make many double-faults. He's just super solid. He backs it up with first aggressive shot.

“If you play a shorter return, you're, again, on your back foot. It's really, really tough to play him, particularly when he serves.”

A seven-time champion on Wimbledon’s turf, does Djokovic plan on returning to the All England Club next year to compete as a 40-year-old?

“I would like to, at least one more time. Let's see,” he responded.

Zverev keeps it rolling

Earlier on Centre Court, Sascha Zverev kept his bid for the ‘Channel Slam’ alive with a smooth 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 performance against local hero Arthur Fery – the wildcard ranked 114 in the world who grew up five minutes away from the All England Club.

Through to a fifth major final and first at Wimbledon, Zverev is just the third man in the Open Era to reach the final at the next Grand Slam event after winning his maiden Grand Slam title.

Last month, Zverev ended a streak of nine consecutive majors won by either Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz and he’s now looking to build a streak of his own.

“For me, I stay focused. I stay hungry. I want more. I want to continue playing at the best level and continue winning. I hope I'm able to do that, and again on Sunday I have another big chance,” said the 29-year-old German.

Zverev once again had a great serving performance, landing 72 percent of his first serves in, and winning 77 percent of his first-serve points and a stunning 82 percent of the points behind his second delivery.

He hit 44 winners, including nine aces and committed 31 unforced errors.

Zverev didn’t know yet who he’d be playing in the final when he was conducting his on-court interview but he knew that either way, he’d be up against a multiple-time major champion.

“I have to trust myself and I have to believe that I can win and that's what I'm gonna do,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Fery walks away from a dream tournament with a 78-spot ranking bump and most importantly a great deal of belief that he can contend with the world’s best.

“Arthur is an unbelievable player,” said Zverev of his 23-year-old opponent.

“I think he's gonna be a senior citizen on the ATP Tour, because I think he's gonna play on this tour for 15-plus years and he's gonna have great results. I think this was just the beginning of his career. and I really think that he's gonna do amazing things in this sport.”

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