Novak Djokovic huffed and puffed his way into the semifinal of the Wimbledon Championships. However, facing the World Number Jannik Sinner in the last four was never going to be an easy task for the Serb. It was made more difficult for Djokovic as he faced familiar troubles during the match and was seen in an uncomfortable position.

Sinner dominated the match right from the word go and took a two-set lead. After the second set, Djokovic looked in discomfort, as he was seen holding his knee. Additionally, the physio also came out to check on him as he took a medical timeout. The Serb was clearly facing the effects of a nasty slip during his Wimbledon quarterfinal match against Flavio Cobolli and didn’t look in the best of shape to compete.

However, after a lengthy conversation with the physio, Djokovic made up his mind to continue and began the third set with a bang, taking a quick 3-0 lead. He lost steam as Sinner showed his supremacy, and the Italian star went on to win the match in straight sets.

Meanwhile, just hours ahead of his semifinal clash against Sinner, Djokovic decided to skip his practice session yesterday. It was a clear sign of Djokovic not being at his 100% best physically, and he even admitted that he had to work harder than the likes of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic went on to say, “Sometimes I get tired of all the chores I have to do on a daily basis to get my body ready to be able to perform. It’s a lot of hours spent off the court, in the gym or on the table just trying to work with what I have. Physically, I hope that I’ll be able to sustain that.”

Nonetheless, Djokovic brought his never-say-die attitude to the fore and decided to take on Sinner in the semifinals today. Although the Serb gave a good account of himself despite not being physically fit, Sinner’s superiority was too hot to handle. Does that mean he’s fading? Well, hear it from himself. “I’ve put everything I possibly can when it comes to training and preparing myself so I can play my best at Grand Slams. I think, regardless of the fact that I haven’t won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams.” 

As for his opponent, Sinner, Andy Roddick claimed that he is the favorite to win Wimbledon.

Andy Roddick sides with Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon

Sinner didn’t have the best of starts to his grass-court campaign, losing in the pre-quarterfinals of the Halle Open. However, he bounced back strongly and showed his superiority at Wimbledon. The Italian star has lost just two sets en route to the finals and is looking good to win his maiden title here. Even Andy Roddick predicted that Sinner would be among the hot favorites at this year’s Championships.

Roddick said, “He’s going into a Grand Slam on his worst surface and still staying he is on the top-3 list of favorites. We have all these conversations and criticism, with a dose of reality, right? It’s not his best surface, it’s probably his least favorite surface, and in my mind, he’s still one of the top three favorites to win Wimbledon along with Alcaraz and Novak (Djokovic).”

Further, he went on to add, “I don’t know if that changes because Bublik played great for an hour-long stretch. Three out of five sets is a different animal, over the course of two weeks is a different animal, and Sinner is only going to be better.”

With Alcaraz defeating Taylor Fritz earlier in the day, the summit clash will see an exciting battle between the Spaniard and Sinner. Follow the Championships in real-time with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog updates. Who do you think will take home the Wimbledon trophy? Let us know your views in the comments below.