ATP Tour

Match Reaction

Djokovic on 'nasty fall': 'The real impact I will feel tomorrow'

Novak Djokovic was holding match point — and tennis fans were holding their breath.

On the verge of defeating Flavio Cobolli in the Wimbledon quarter-finals Wednesday, the Serbian made a quick effort to change direction, but slipped on the grass and fell into a painful-looking split at 5-4, 40/30 in the fourth set. Djokovic stayed down for a moment as the chair umpire rushed to check on him, as did Cobolli.

With tension rippling through Centre Court and anxious faces in Djokovic’s player’s box, the sixth seed returned to his feet and stretched out his left leg to a wave of applause. Despite the nervy ending, Djokovic needed just two more points to close the match, securing a 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

“It was a nasty fall. It was very awkward,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “That happens on grass. I've had quite a few of those throughout my grass-court career.”

Djokovic showed no obvious signs of injury throughout the final two points of the match. The 38-year-old remains optimistic that will hold true ahead of his semi-final clash against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“Obviously, [my] body is not the same today like it was before, so I guess the real impact or effect of what happened I will feel tomorrow. So let's see,” Djokovic said. “I'm hoping the next 24, 48 hours, the severity of what happened is not too bad, that I'll be able to play at my best and free of pain in two days.”

A seven-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic is seeking to tie Roger Federer’s record of eight trophies at the grass-court major. Should Djokovic win the title, he would become the oldest champion in the tournament's Open Era history, surpassing Federer’s record set in 2017 when he triumphed aged 35.

Djokovic’s next match pits experience against youth once more. The 100-time tour-level titlist faces top seed Sinner, the 23-year-old who has beaten Djokovic in their previous four meetings. The Italian leads Djokovic 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Never mind the 15-year age gap, Djokovic is confident in his thorough preparation.

“I'm very satisfied as a 38-year-old to be able to move the way I'm moving right now and playing,” Djokovic said.

“I have about 10 people in my team working daily on every single aspect of my on-court, off-court career and preparation and recovery. Sometimes I get tired of all the chores that I have to do on a daily basis to get my body ready to be able to perform. It's a lot of hours, a lot of hours spent off the court, in the gym, or on the table just trying to work with what I have.”

Djokovic, now 26-8 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, has competed in six consecutive Wimbledon finals. Sinner is aiming for his first Wimbledon final appearance. While Sinner has won his past four meetings with Djokovic, the Belgrade native has twice beaten the Italian at SW19 (2022 QFs, 2023 SFs).

Sinner won their most recent clash, beating Djokovic in straight sets last month in a high-quality semi-final encounter at Roland Garros.

“I think I played a solid match. I could have played better, but [Jannik] was just a better player when the moments were important,” Djokovic said, reflecting on his Paris meeting with Sinner, the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals champion.

“I get another opportunity. For me, this is what actually counts the most, being in the last stages of Grand Slams and playing against the best player in the world right now.

“I couldn't ask for a bigger challenge for myself. I look forward to it. I'll do my best to get ready and perform my best there.”