Novak Djokovic relishes renewed semi-final showdown with Jannik Sinner after fending off Flavio Cobolli

Even when Novak Djokovic is down, he can never be ruled out.

The seven-time Wimbledon tennis champion had to reach deep into his bag of tricks in his men's singles quarter-final match on Wednesday (9 July), coming from behind to beat 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court.

Djokovic lost his footing and fell on his second match point late in the fourth set, drawing concern from his opponent and the umpire amid a quiet hush from the crowd.

But the 38-year-old persisted to set up a third match point, finishing off the three-hour and 11-minute encounter with a deft volley winner to book his spot in the final four of the 2025 edition.

Paris 2024 Olympic champion Djokovic will meet world number one Jannik Sinner in the hotly anticipated Wimbledon semi-final on Friday (11 July), in what will be the 10th instalment of the pair’s riveting rivalry.

“I lost straight sets to Jannik in the semis of Roland-Garros,” Djokovic told the media, including Olympics.com, in his post-match press conference. “I think I played a solid match. I could have played better, but he was just the better player when the moments were important. So I get another opportunity.”

He continued, “For me, this is what counts the most... Being in the last stages of Grand Slams and playing against the best player in the world right now. Him next to [Carlos] Alcaraz are the leaders of men's tennis today. I couldn't ask for a bigger challenge for myself. I look forward to it. I'll do my best to get ready and perform my best there.”

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