Sinner Makes Late Practice Court Switch
Jannik Sinner reportedly avoided Novak Djokovic on the practice courts at Wimbledon after making a late change ahead of their semi-final. The Italian top seed was scheduled to train on court two alongside Djokovic on court one, but according to Serbian outlet Sportel, Sinner swapped to court four to avoid the Serbian.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, trained for an hour under the watchful eye of Viktor Troicki and with doubles player Mark Polmans, who featured in the mixed doubles final alongside Storm Hunter to face Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo.
Djokovic's Exhausting Quarter-Final
Djokovic played an exhausting five-set quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Sinner dispatched Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets. Despite the taxing match, Djokovic trained for an hour, emphasising the need for recovery. "It was honestly one of the best matches I was part of on this court in my career," Djokovic said. "I have no energy left... right now it's all business. I still have to recover, I'm still in the tournament and I have the best player in the world in a few days time."
Djokovic praised Sinner: "Sinner is number one right now and the best player in the world, and that kind of continuity and consistency he has in his results is really remarkable."
Sinner's Tactical Approach
Sinner appears keen to withhold any secrets he has left against his 39-year-old opponent, whom he ruthlessly defeated at the same stage 12 months ago. The Italian believes the conditions at Wimbledon add additional problems. "With Novak, I feel like every match is different," Sinner said. "Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match really has its own story. Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or [you're] not feeling the ball very well, it's going to be very, very tough."
Sinner added: "He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I'm looking forward to it. In any case, I'm happy to be back in the semis. I'm happy to fight for every ball, then we'll see."
Match Preview
The duo are set for the showpiece match at SW19 on Friday, with a place in the final at stake. Sinner, the four-time major champion and world number one, faces a tough challenge against Djokovic, who has won Wimbledon seven times.
