Jannik Sinner winks at Novak Djokovic after their semi-final match at Wimbledon.
Jannik Sinner has hailed Novak Djokovic as a "true inspiration" after the defending Wimbledon champion revealed he had to elevate his game to a completely different stratosphere to shatter his great rival's title bid on Friday.
Sinner produced a masterclass on Centre Court, delivering one of his most imperious performances of the year to rout Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a surprisingly one-sided semi-final. The world number one will now face newly crowned French Open champion Alexander Zverev in a highly anticipated final this afternoon.
Sinner's dynamic, baseline-heavy display successfully avenged his Australian Open semi-final defeat at the hands of Djokovic in January. For the legendary Serb, it was another case of falling agonisingly short in his historic quest to claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles crown, which would lift him clear of Margaret Court's all-time tally.
Whilst the seven-time Wimbledon champion is undeniably entering the twilight of his career, the 39-year-old had demonstrated his enduring greatness earlier in the week. His monumental, five-hour marathon victory over third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime — the longest quarter-final in the tournament's storied history — proved he remains fully capable of going toe-to-toe with the next generation.
