Novak Djokovic overcame a spirited challenge from rising Italian star Flavio Cobolli and a late injury scare to reach a record 14th Wimbledon semi-final, defeating his opponent 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion will now face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a highly anticipated semi-final on Friday. The match sets up a showdown between the seasoned Serbian and one of the leaders of the sport’s new generation.
Djokovic appeared to injure his hip after falling awkwardly on match point, but managed to recover quickly and seal the win. “It was a nasty fall,” he said. “Obviously, my body is not the same today like it was before… I’m hoping the next 24-48 hours the severity is not too bad.”
Despite Cobolli’s inexperience on grass and a modest record against top-ranked players, the 22-year-old stunned the crowd by taking the first set in a tense tiebreak. He relied on explosive serves and flat groundstrokes, pushing Djokovic to the limit in several sets.
“Cobolli played at a really high level,” Djokovic admitted. “At some parts of the match he was just serving so good that I wasn’t able to read or attack it.”
After a dip in the second set, Cobolli rebounded impressively in the third, even taking a 5-4 lead before nerves crept in. The Italian’s fight continued into the fourth set but faltered at 4-4, allowing Djokovic to close out the match.
Djokovic hit 39 winners to just 22 unforced errors and continues to pursue a historic 25th Grand Slam title. But he acknowledged that Sinner — and potentially Carlos Alcaraz in the final — will pose a far greater challenge.
“Physically I hope I’ll be able to sustain that. That’s more of a concern than game-wise,” he said. “I feel like I can go toe to toe with those guys and even beat them if I’m playing my best.”
Cobolli, playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, showed flashes of brilliance and maturity beyond his years.
Discussion about this post