Djokovic sobers all hunters
A “Grunting” Prey Defends His “Scalp”
By David Needy, Wimbledon
7/14/2023 7:34 p.m
Bitter message for all hunters of the Wimbledon tennis king: Novak Djokovic easily handles youngster Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and is allowed to keep his scalp. The Grand Slam record champion looks almost relaxed – even if a grunt causes excitement.
Novak Djokovic has a target on his back. Like he was in an action movie. Or as if he were a shy deer being relentlessly hunted by a pack of wolves. But Novak Djokovic doesn’t care about any of that. The Grand Slam record winner (23 titles) even thrives as the hunted. Nothing with shock rigidity. He loves the feeling, blossoms even more, trains even more throughout the year to show all the youngsters who are chasing him: I’m still here, I’m not going away anytime soon. I’m still the king of this sport.
What applies to red deer, the older the animals get, the more successfully they avoid being hunted, also applies to 36-year-old Djokovic. The tennis player has constantly developed his game and has a whole suitcase full of methods for fending off the attackers. Trained defensive behavior, so to speak. The hard-working Jannik Sinner, 21 years old, feels this painfully in the Wimbledon semifinals. 6: 3, 6: 4, 7: 6 Djokovic clears the youngster and enters his ninth final in the classic lawn.
He tries not to “see his advanced age as an obstacle,” said the winner after the game. In a semi-final you have to “put yourself in the best physical and mental condition” and he did that. “He proved why he is one of the leading players of the next generation and one of the best in the world,” Djokovic praised his opponent, adding: “It almost became a very close match.” But only almost.
Djokovic is not a shy deer
With Sinner, an unpleasant attacker is actually waiting for the Serbs. A predator that can even become a threat to the tennis king. Only three men have forced Djokovic into a fifth set during the Serb’s 33-game (now 34) Wimbledon winning streak: Rafael Nadal in the 2018 semifinals, Roger Federer in the epic 2019 final – and the Italian in last year’s quarterfinals. There Djokovic was even 0: 2 behind in sets before he stormed back impressively.
Sinner shows right away how serious he is about his hunt: In Djokovic’s first service game, the Italian fights a break point twice, but the Serb, whose trainer Goran Ivanisevic looks extra grim today, just escapes the fangs. And how. What a defense system of the hunted: Djokovic hits back and gets the break in direct return. He quickly makes it 3-0, a show of power. The Italian cannot capture more than one further break point and Djokovic bravely fends off the first attack. He serves three aces in a row in his final service game. Shy deer? Rather recoiling wildebeest!
Quite the king enthroned high above, Djokovic had smugly commented before the semifinals on how much he enjoys being the man to beat at Wimbledon. “I love it,” the Serb said of the proverbial target on his back. “I think every tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against them.” Then he added, laughing. “I know they want to get my scalp, they want to come get me. But that’s not going to happen, not yet.”
“It will be a completely different game than last year,” Sinner said before the semifinals. How right he should be. Prior to 2023, Sinner had reached the quarterfinals once at every major tournament but had never progressed beyond. In three of these cases he had to admit defeat to the eventual winner. Is the world number 8 ready to complete the great hunt? Is he ready to become a major champion himself?
Punishment for grunts and moans
Sinner, who had expected a “mental” game, also shows in the second set right at the beginning that he is not (yet) up to the hunt for King Djokovic. He gives up his serve again, it’s early 1:3 from his point of view. The hunted does not present the hunter – the rallies are brilliant, dominated by longer and longer baseline rallies, sudden stop shots or optimal serves – but Djokovic usually plays a bit more precisely, faster and more powerfully than Sinner. Even if he really isn’t playing badly, nobody here really believes in a victory for the Italian, who keeps making small mistakes at important moments. Here a hit over the head into the net, there a supposedly easy forehand out.
Even from a dubious “disability” call from the referee, Djokovic had groaned too loud and had to give up a point (“I don’t usually have a huge grunt, this is the first time in my career that something like this has happened to me,” he says of the game), and a warning about the timeout on serve, the Serb cannot be stopped. He stays calm in his game, pulls it through determinedly, stoically and with aplomb. It’s now a robot instead of a deer. In contrast to last year, the strong second in the world rankings takes the lead this time with 2:0 sets.
Sinner’s journey back to the loot couldn’t be longer or more difficult. The sobering realization for the hunters: you have the feeling that the Italian is playing well, but the game still looks almost comfortable for Djokovic. That’s how good he is. You have to play the very best tennis against the Serbs and even then hope that he doesn’t have a good day. Otherwise victory is almost impossible. “Djokovic just closed the door,” former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli said on BBC radio. Several spectators are already leaving Center Court.
Djokovic issues a warning
You miss the most balanced and dramatic set of the game. Sinner keeps pushing himself and yet disillusionment is likely to spread through him again: he has to work incredibly hard to win a point. And Djokovic has the right answer every time.
Almost every time. Because finally there is pepper in this hunt. With a score of 5: 4 for Sinner, the Serb puts a simple forehand over the sideline. Two set balls for the Italian. Djokovic fends off the first with a strong backhand – and the second is almost unchallenged by Sinner. The Serb then allows himself to be carried away to a provocative gesture against some Sinner fans and earns boos. It goes into the tie-break, where Sinner initially cuts the better figure, but – symbolic of the game – ultimately loses to the machine and thus loses the semi-finals.
Djokovic had previously shown how comfortable he feels being hunted in this tournament and how aggressively he can fend off attacks from the youngsters. In the two previous rounds he had prevailed against Hubert Hurkacz (26 years old) and Andrey Rublev (25). Now the next prank against Youngster Sinner. The hunted has the best chance of winning his fifth consecutive title and eighth overall in London, equaling Roger Federer’s record.
In the end, Novak Djokovic kisses the holy turf again and sends a warning to the hunters: “36 is the new 26. I love this sport and want to return the favor and play as long as possible.”