Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, is set to face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday. The two have clashed nine times before, with Sinner holding a slight edge at 5-4. But the first time the veteran took notice of the Italian was three years ago at the All England Club, the Wimbledon quarterfinal in 2022. Sinner, just 20 back then, had gained a two-set lead against the Serbian. ‘The Joker’ had to take a quick bathroom break to compose himself.

“I had a refresh, a toilet break, and a little pep talk to myself in the mirror,” Djokovic had confessed and while he went on to win the match eventually, he was impressed by Sinner’s skills. Now 23 and 15 years younger than Djokovic, Sinner intends to defeat him in their upcoming Wimbledon Men’s Semifinal and while analysts and fans alike, are busy predicting the potential outcome, who could be better than Roger Federer who faced Nole 50 times during his career?

Interestingly, when a user caught sight of Roger Federer out and about, he couldn’t help but ask for his thoughts on the Sinner vs Djokovic clash and who would win. Federer, who had to take a few seconds to think, made his pick. Who is it?

“I think, Novak,” he said, looking a bit unsure.

So far, Novak Djokovic has been dominant, cruising through matches without dropping a set until his quarters and semis against Alex de Minaur and Flavio Cobolli. He also suffered a “nasty fall” in his quarterfinal, which momentarily shook the crowd. Though he later won, Djokovic said he would have the injury checked by a physio before facing Sinner. “It was a nasty fall, that happens on the grass. I’ve had quite a few of those throughout my grass court career, but obviously, body is not the same today like it was before. So, I guess the impact of what happened I will feel tomorrow.”

On the other hand, Jannik Sinner cruised through early rounds without dropping a set, but took a fall in the round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov, injuring his elbow. Dimitrov later withdrew due to a pectoral injury, giving Sinner a pass to the quarters. Despite injury concerns due to his fall, Sinner defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets, though he wore a white sleeve on his right arm for support.

In his post-match interview, Sinner shared his recovery plan: “Yeah, I mean, when you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try not to think about it. It has improved a lot since yesterday to today. Yesterday, my day was very short on the practice court—20 minutes with the coaches only. But in the other way, I’m looking forward to it. It’s no excuse, so there is no better stage to play tennis, and I think I showed this today.” He also told BBC Sport, “Time will always help and [Thursday] is one day off, which is going to be good for me, and Friday I’m going to be 100%.” But is Nole ready?

Djokovic hasn’t commented on his condition yet, but since he made it through the quarters with limited issues, Federer’s pick might hold up. Plus, this isn’t their first Wimbledon semifinal showdown—their last clash on Centre Court was right here two years ago!

A recap of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner’s previous Wimbledon match

At Wimbledon 2023, the semi-final stage was set for a clash that felt destined to echo through tennis history. Sinner, stepping into his first-ever semi-final spotlight, faced the relentless Djokovic, who was chasing a fifth straight Wimbledon final. Djokovic’s game was a symphony of precision and power, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) and marking his 34th consecutive grass-court major victory. Yet, the battle was far from easy. The young Italian eighth seed had pushed Nole to the brink, rallying from two sets down before the Serb finally prevailed.

This time, Novak Djokovic took command early, cruising through the first set and breaking in the second. But the tension simmered beneath the surface. Umpire Richard Haigh docked Djokovic a point for a distracting noise and later warned him for slow serving, provoking a fiery “what are you doing?” from Nole himself. The Serb’s composure never wavered. He ruthlessly claimed the second set and, after saving two set points in the third, responded to the crowd’s cheers for Sinner with a cheeky, sarcastic, crying gesture. In the end, Djokovic’s grit was sealed with a win.

Yet, the narrative has flipped dramatically since, with Sinner accumulating wins over the veteran. Now, as they prepare to face off again, the question lingers: will Novak Djokovic even their H2H score, or will Sinner carve his name into Wimbledon history with a first final appearance? The stage is set, the tension palpable. Share your predictions in the comments, and keep your eyes peeled to our Live Blog for every thrilling moment of Wimbledon’s unfolding drama.