Novak Djokovic will be trying to make history at Wimbledon on Friday when he plays world number one Jannik Sinner for a place in the final. In the other semi-final, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on American fifth seed Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic vs Sinner
Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times and is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title. Now 38, he says Wimbledon is his best chance to do it, but he faces a tough challenge.
Even though Djokovic beat Sinner at Wimbledon in both 2022 and 2023, the Italian has won their last four matches, including at this year’s Australian Open and French Open. Sinner now leads their head-to-head 5-4.
Sinner brushed aside Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, despite some worries about an elbow injury. Djokovic had a slight fall during his win over Flavio Cobolli and hopes to be fully fit.
Djokovic hasn’t won a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open and has lost the last two Wimbledon finals to Carlos Alcaraz. He’s been in every Wimbledon final since 2018 and has only lost once in his previous 13 semi-finals there. If he wins, he’ll match Roger Federer’s record of seven Wimbledon finals in a row.
This is Sinner’s seventh Grand Slam semi-final. If he wins, it will be his first Wimbledon final. The 23-year-old could also become the sixth man in the Open era to reach four Grand Slam finals in a row. His last final ended in heartbreak when he lost in five sets to Alcaraz at the French Open, despite having three match points.
Alcaraz vs Fritz
Carlos Alcaraz is getting back to top form after a shaky start. He struggled in early rounds, including a five-setter against Fabio Fognini — but looked strong in his quarter-final win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Alcaraz, the world number two and a five-time Grand Slam winner, is aiming for his third straight Wimbledon final. He’s currently on a 23-match winning streak and has won 34 of his last 37 matches on grass.
Taylor Fritz will need to play his best tennis to pull off an upset. If he does, he’ll reach his second Grand Slam final and become the first American man in a Wimbledon final since Andy Roddick in 2009.
Fritz reached his first Slam final at last year’s US Open but lost to Jannik Sinner.
