World No 1 seed 23-year old Italian Jannik Sinner blasted seven times wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic’s ambitiously long dream of surpassing Roger Federer’s equal record of wins to becoming the first player to win tennis’ most coveted title for a historic all-time eighth time to as historic 25 grand slam titles by a crushing 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 wimbledon semi-final routing to setting up his first ever wimbledon final. That it would be against the man regarded as the tournament favourite Carlos Alcaraz who has stood between rhe Italian and greatness in what has the trappings to the sports greatest show on earth this year when he takes on the two times reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in what will be a showdown between modern tennis’ two undisputed young prince’s on Sunday does magnify the battle for supremacy as bever before. By and large it has the trimmings of what would be the all-time greatest clash in tennis given their standings.
As the once ice cool king of the court 38-year old Djokovic was left reflecting on how age had put out the firepower in him when he reigned over the likes of the great Roger Federer, Sinner was on his way to avenging a string of defeats at the hands of Alcaraz, the most recent at the Italian Open and French Open.
Indeed, his last defeat from a position of absolute domination to letting it slip by when at the doorstep of the title by three squandered match points on which Alcaraz came back from the lowest depths to snuff out Sinner on a knife thin thread, will be the intensifying drum up as to which of the two would prevail the ultimate king.
The Italian thus is in with his chance to even up while the Spaniard finds himself in a rematch in a hype as never before whether Sinner’s iron fist wouldn’t let up this time as Alcaraz chases his greatest of milestones to becoming the only player to win Wimbledon three consecutive years in the open era at just 23 years. catching up with him after a humbling 6-3 6-3 6-4 defeat by a man who plays uncannily like the seven-time champion in his prime.
Sinner’s victory put him into a first Wimbledon final and set up a re-match of last month’s epic French Open showpiece, where he lost in five sets to Alcaraz having led by two sets and seen three championship points saved.
At least one of Sinner and Alcaraz have contested the men’s singles final at the last six Grand Slam tournaments, while Sinner is going for a first title away from the hard courts against Alcaraz, a two-time winner at the All England Club.
Djokovic had admitted previously that this tournament on his favourite surface offered probably his best chance of setting a standalone record of major singles title.
“These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune. It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body.”
Having been largely outplayed for two sets, Djokovic threatened a comeback in the third but Sinner remarkably won five games in a rowg on his way to securing a fifth Grand Slam final.
Three-time major winner Sinner, 23, has now won the last six meetings against Djokovic but this was the first time on grass.
There were doubts around the fitness of both players before the match and, while Sinner did not seem hampered by his elbow injury, Djokovic did require a medical time out after the second set and admitted he had considered “withdrawing”.
Another final between Sinner and Alcaraz just five weeks after the last one at Roland Garros gives the Italian a chance for revenge against the Spaniard, who beat American fifth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in Friday’s first semi-final on a sweltering hot day.
“It’s a huge honour for me to share the court again with Carlos,” Sinner said.
“Hopefully it will be a good match like the last one – I don’t know if it will be better because I don’t know if that’s possible but we will see.”