Sinner salutes 'true inspiration' Djokovic after ending rival's Wimbledon bid

Jannik Sinner hailed Novak Djokovic as a “true inspiration” as the defending Wimbledon champion revealed he had to raise his game to end his rival’s title bid on Friday.

Sinner produced one of his best performances this year to rout Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a one-sided Centre Court semi-final.

The world number one will face French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday.

Sinner’s dynamic display avenged his Australian Open last-four loss to Djokovic in January.

Djokovic once again fell short in his quest to make history with a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, which would break his tie with Margaret Court.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion might be in the twilight of his career.

But the 39-year-old showed in his five-hour victory over third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime — the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history — that he can still compete with far younger players.

Full of admiration for Djokovic’s longevity, Sinner said: “Even when I had this small winning streak from last year, you always feel pressure before playing against Novak.

“This is why I practise. I like challenges. Playing against Novak in Grand Slams, they are very different than playing in Masters events.

“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.”

– ‘An honour to play against him’ –

Brushing away talk of retirement, Djokovic said after losing to Sinner that he plans to return to Wimbledon at least one more time.

Sinner would welcome Djokovic extending his remarkable career, but for now he hopes his latest victory over the Serb will propel him to a fifth Grand Slam title on Sunday.

“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,” he said.

“I think mentally I knew that I need to level up. I’ve done it today. It helped me, for sure.

“Against Novak, if you want to play even, you need to play your best tennis.”

Sinner has won his last nine meetings with Zverev, including the 2025 Australian Open final.

But the German has been in superb form over the last two months, finally winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros before sweeping into his maiden Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old has ditched his tag as the sport’s nearly man and Sinner is well aware of the threat he poses to his title defence.

“Whatever happened in the past between me and him, it happened. In between, he won a Grand Slam in Paris, which gave him a lot of confidence. We can see the level he’s producing here,” Sinner said.

“He tried for so long, and then when you finally achieve it, it’s amazing and gives you this confidence boost. We see it again here. It shows that he is playing incredible tennis.

“I’m happy to face him. I try to do the best I can, and then we see how it goes. But it’s going to be very tough, very different than all the other matches we have played.”