Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has declared Jannik Sinner the favourite to reach the Wimbledon final, citing Novak Djokovic's physically draining quarter-final as a decisive factor. The world No. 1 faces the seven-time champion on Friday for a place in Sunday's final at the All England Club.
Rusedski's assessment
Speaking on The Off Court podcast, Rusedski explained why he now favours Sinner. 'I'm not on the fence on this. 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,' he said. '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.'
Djokovic's gruelling path
Djokovic, who turned 39 earlier this year, needed over five hours to overcome third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, winning in a fifth-set tie-break. The Serbian now has just two days to recover. Rusedski questioned whether the 39-year-old can bounce back: '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.'
Rusedski concluded: 'Can he bounce back at 39 years young? If he does, he's got a shot. But I don't know if the body will allow him to perform in the manner that he wants to.'
Sinner's calm confidence
Sinner, the defending champion, eased into the semi-finals with a straight-set victory over Jan-Lennard Struff. He has not dropped a set since his opening-round tussle with Miomir Kecmanovic. The Italian acknowledged the challenge ahead: 'I feel like every match (against Novak) is different. 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.'
Stakes and history
Djokovic is seeking a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam. The semi-final is a repeat of last year's clash, which Sinner won comfortably. The winner will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's final.
