E-Paper
Novak Djokovic sparks Wimbledon panic over Jannik Sinner showdown after 'nasty fall'; injury verdict delayed
Novak Djokovic is set to face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday in the Wimbledon 2025 semifinal.
Novak Djokovic sparked a major worry around his participation in the semifinals of the 2025 edition of Wimbledon after suffering from a "nasty fall" during his quarterfinal win against Flavio Cobolli. The No. 6 seed had slipped near the baseline on match point as the umpire and his opponent had rushed to check on him.
Djokovic recovered quickly to get back on his feet before sealing a 6-7(6) 6-2 7-5 6-4 win against the Italian, but his worrying comment in the post-match interaction is what sparked fear. The Serb said he is waiting to see how his body responds before he takes a call on his semifinal match against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
After laughing it off in on-court chat, Djokovic said: "In terms of the fall, it was a nasty fall. It was very awkward. That happens on the grass. I've had quite a few of those throughout my grass court career.
"Obviously, 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.
"I'm hoping the next 24, 48 hours that the severity of what was happening on the court and what happened is not too bad, that I'll be able to play at my best and free of pain in two days."
Djokovic will need to be physically at his best if he wants to beat Sinner on Friday on the Centre Court, with the 38-year-old standing just two wins away from equalling Roger Federer's all-time record of eight Wimbledon titles and an unprecedented 25th career major. That title win would also make him the oldest-ever Grand Slam winner in the Open Era. Djokovic had lost to Sinner in straight sets in the French Open last month.
Earlier this week, Djokovic admitted that he has the best chance to end Carlos Alcaraz-Sinner's dominance and win his first Slam since the US Open 2023 at Wimbledon.
"Of course, it is motivation. It's a given," he said of potentially winning a quarter-century of Grand Slam trophies.
"In a sense, for me to feel the significance of the moment, we don't even need to talk about it. Of course, I am aware of getting myself in a position to play semis against the best player in the world."
He added: "I have about 10 people in my team daily working 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.
"Look, I'm very satisfied as a 38-year-old to be able to move the way I'm doing, that I'm moving right now and playing, so…
