Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
After the match, Djokovic admitted he was a ‘level or two’ worse than Sinner as he suffered another defeat against the world number one.
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During his post-match press conference, Sinner was told what Djokovic had said about his level.
Jannik Sinner says he knew he needed to ‘level up’ to beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Sinner was asked the following question.
- “Novak came in and said you were a level or two above him today. Do you feel that was the best match of the tournament? Did you need a match like this before the final?“
“Yeah, I think mentally I knew that I needed to level up,” said Sinner.
“I’ve done it today. It helped me, for sure.
“I worked very hard in the past couple of days, having a good rhythm. Also, thanks to my team to put also the body and the mind in the position to be as competitive as possible.
“Against Novak [Djokovic], if you want to play even, you need to play your best tennis. I came out and was serving very well today, which helped me.
Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic – Match stats
| Stats | Jannik Sinner | Novak Djokovic |
| Aces | 16 | 8 |
| Double faults | 0 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 63% | 62% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 88% | 75% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 62% | 41% |
| Break point | 3/13 | 0/1 |
| Total points won | 103 | 81 |
“Things could have gone in a very tough way if he had broken me in the third set, because that’s how tennis is.
“But I’m happy that I handled the situations as well as I could.
“Novak is so, so tough to play against because you always feel the pressure. You know it’s not easy. But yeah, I’m happy about today’s performance.”
Djokovic finally earned his first break point of the match late in the third set, but couldn’t convert as Sinner’s serve held firm when it mattered most.
Sinner was also asked how stressed he was before the match, having lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year.
“Well, even when I had this small winning streak from last year, you always feel pressure before playing against Novak,” he said.
“But I like it. This is why I practice. I like challenges. Playing against Novak in Grand Slams, they are very different than playing in maybe Masters events or smaller tournaments, I would say.
“But yeah, it’s so amazing to see him still producing this kind of level. The match he played with Felix [Auger-Aliassime], I was watching. The level was so high. It’s a true inspiration for all of us and also the younger generation, how much a good mindset can do for your body and mind as well.
“For me, he’s a true inspiration. Seeing him around and having the honour to play against him, feeling the pressure against him, these matches, hopefully, can help me in the future. That’s it.
“Every match is different, in a way, has its own story. Depends where we play and how we feel physically.
“I would not look a lot at head-to-heads. I think every match is different.
“I’m very lucky to play against Novak.”
Sinner leads Djokovic 7-5 in their head-to-head, although the tide has certainly turned recently.
After losing four of their first five, Sinner has beaten Djokovic in six of their last seven encounters.
But as the Italian rightly mentioned, every match is different, and when the players walk out onto the court, the head-to-head record means nothing.
Will Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner play each other again this year?
Djokovic may want to avoid Sinner, given his recent record against the world number one, but they could meet again before the end of the year.
While the Serb is unlikely to join Sinner in Montreal or Cincinnati, having missed the two events in 2024 and 2025, he is expected to return in time for the US Open.
There, Djokovic and Sinner could meet again in the latter stages of a Grand Slam event.
They could also play each other at the Shanghai Masters after the US Open, as they did in 2024, when Sinner won the title.
