ATP Tour

Djokovic survives late fall to set Sinner SF at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic took the scenic route once again at Wimbledon, where he battled past the dynamic Flavio Cobolli to reach a record 14th semi-final at The Championships on Wednesday.

After dropping the first set to Alex de Minaur in the previous round, Djokovic found himself trailing again, this time to the Italian Cobolli. But just like on Monday, the Serbian dialled in, found his rhythm and delivered the answers when it mattered most, rallying for a 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

Djokovic failed to convert either of his first two match points, slipping on the baseline during the second point. However, after stretching out his leg, he returned to his feet to eventually finish the job after three hours and 11 minutes.

"Well I finished the match," Djokovic said when asked how he was after the fall. "It was a nasty slip but that is what happens when you play on the grass. I think I hadn't fallen so far this year. It is a bit surprising because the way I move on the grass, a lot of sliding, aggressive movement, you are expected to fall and have this kind of situation.

"It did come at an awkward moment but I managed to find a good serve and close it out. I am going to visit this subject now with my physio."

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In a high-level clash, the Serbian struggled to deal with Cobolli’s athleticism and depth of shot for periods of the first set and came unstuck when serving for the opener at 5-3. However, he used all his experience against the Italian – who was competing in his maiden major quarter-final and on Centre Court for the first time – to absorb the 23-year-old’s heavy hitting and ride out Cobolli's purple patches.

"A huge congratulations to Flavio for an amazing tournament. I played him once last year on hard courts and we have hit together quite a bit on different surfaces but we had never played on grass," Djokovic said.

"I had seen him play here and knew he was playing well. It is always different practising from playing in an official match. He played at a really high level. I think what surprised me a lot was his serve. He served at a really fast pace and was going for his shots. He is such a talented and skillful player and one of the guys we will be seeing in the future."

With his 102nd Wimbledon win, Djokovic improved to 26-8 on the season and moved to within two victories of a record-extending 25th major. If the 38-year-old clinches the title, he will equal Federer’s record of eight crowns at the grass-court major. The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has lost the past two Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz.

Awaiting the Serbian in the semi-finals is Jannik Sinner after the World No. 1 ended Ben Shelton’s run with a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 win. Sinner leads Djokovic 5-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the Serbian in the Roland Garros semi-finals last month. Djokovic has won their previous two meetings at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023.

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After failing to serve out the first set at 5–3, Djokovic fell behind 2/5 in the tie-break. He fought back with aggressive baseline play, moving forward to place a delicate volley into the forecourt and recover the mini-break. Djokovic then saved a set point at 5/6 with a backhand winner, but Cobolli remained composed. The Italian struck a forehand passing shot to regain the lead and closed out the set with an unreturned serve out wide.

Djokovic responded by upping his first serve percentage to 83 per cent in the second set, winning 14 of 15 points behind the delivery. He also cut down on mistakes, committing two unforced errors to Cobolli’s six in the set to win more of the baseline exchanges and level.

Cobolli produced a 20-minute purple patch in the third set to rally from a break down and level at 5-5, but he went cold just when it mattered most. The Italian played a sloppy game at 5-5 to hand Djokovic the break and the sixth seed closed out.

In a tight fourth set, Djokovic gained the decisive break in the ninth game when Cobolli could only find the net with a forehand volley. Djokovic then served out to reach his 52nd major semi-final.

Cobolli has climbed five spots to No. 19 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings with his run. After struggling with a shoulder injury through the first three months of the season, the 23-year-old lifted ATP Tour trophies in Bucharest and Hamburg during the European clay swing.