Jannik Sinner reportedly steered clear of Novak Djokovic on the practice courts at Wimbledon after making a last-minute adjustment ahead of their semi-final encounter. While Arthur Fery has won over the hearts of Centre Court, the pair remain on course for the headline clash at SW19 on Friday.
Sinner's Strategic Move
Having seen off Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, while his Serbian rival endured a gruelling five-set battle against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sinner is leaving nothing to chance in his preparations. The top seed appears determined to keep his remaining cards close to his chest against his 39-year-old adversary, whom he comprehensively defeated at the same stage just 12 months ago.
With Djokovic training on court one, Sinner was due to practise alongside him on court two. However, according to Serbian outlet Sportel, the Italian switched to court four in a move to keep his distance from Djokovic.
Djokovic's Recovery
The 24-time Grand Slam champion trained under the supervision of Viktor Troicki, alongside doubles player Mark Polmans, who finished as runner-up in mixed doubles with Storm Hunter, falling to Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo. Despite a gruelling quarter-final, Djokovic put in a full hour of training. Recovery will prove equally vital for the seasoned champion.
"It was honestly one of the best matches I was part of on this court in my career," he said following his victory over Auger-Aliassime. "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."
"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," he added.
Sinner's Perspective
Sinner himself acknowledges it will be no straightforward task. The Italian has racked up a string of victories against Djokovic, yet believes the conditions at Wimbledon present additional challenges.
"With Novak, I feel like every match is different," the four-time major champion 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."
"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."
