Novak Djokovic told his hopes of beating Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon may already be dashed
Novak Djokovic defied the sands of time once again as he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in an astonishing quarter-final that concluded after five hours and 15 minutes, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski fears the length of that contest may have ended the Serbian’s hopes of winning Wimbledon.
At the age of 39, Djokovic found a way to beat 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6 (10-4), as he reached a remarkable 55th Grand Slam semi-final.
The trouble for Djokovic is he will now have to overcome world No 1 Jannik Sinner, who cruised into the last four at Wimbledon once again with a straight sets win over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
Now Djokovic has a couple of days to recover before facing a rematch with Sinner, who he beat in the Australian Open semi-finals back in January.
Yet Rusedski has suggested Djokovic’s hopes of beating Sinner again have taken a pounding along with his body after his draining match against Auger-Aliassime.
More Tennis News
Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi share a common trait that sets them apart
‘I am not happy’ – Novak Djokovic issues furious complaint during Wimbledon quarter-final
“I’m not on the fence on this,” declared Rusedski on his podcast. “I’m putting myself on the line. I called Djokovic to win a 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but he has just used up too much energy.
“The tank cannot recover. Yes, Djokovic historically has been able to do so, but I think that’ll be the problem. Sinner will make the points long.
“Djokovic can’t go backhand to backhand as he did against Auger-Aliassime. Yes, he’s going to try to break down the forehand. Sinner’s going to get that work in. He’s going to clean it up. He’s going to be focused. He hasn’t won a major this year. He hasn’t been to the final of a major yet this year. And on top of that, with Novak, I just can’t see it after this brutal match that happened.
“How can he recover? The next forty eight hours, you know, is he allowed an IV? Is he gonna take ice baths? How’s he gonna get his body ready? He’s definitely not hitting any tennis balls whatsoever tomorrow.
“Tomorrow’s just recovery, recovery, recovery. And if he can bounce back, the tennis is there. But I’ve got to give the advantage now to Jannik Sinner just because of the physical match he’s played.
“Can he bounce back at 39 years young? If he does, he’s got a shot. But I don’t know if the body will allow him to perform in the manner that he wants to.”
Djokovic admitted he didn’t know how his body would react after the Auger-Aliassime epic, as he suggested he was surprised that is still able to compete against players from a different generation in his 40th year.
“At this stage of my career, it’s a surprise that I’m still able to battle these young guys that have 15 years less than me, that I’m able to beat them at the tightest possible scoreline,” he said.
“Of course, in a sense, it is really a nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself. I can be very self-critical, very hard on myself. At the same time, I try to also enjoy the moments like this. I don’t know what tomorrow brings.
“To be honest, let’s see. I’m still in the tournament. I still want to go at least one more step further. But this was as good as a final for me. I gave it all that I had, gave it my best.
“I think it was really thrilling experience for us players, but also crowd present in the stadium, I’m sure also a lot of people watching on TV. Glad to be part of another historic match.”
Djokovic’s comment that his win against Auger-Aliassime was ‘as good as a a final’ in his eyes will be music to Sinner’s ears, as he knows he will be facing one of his biggest rivals at a moment when he is struggling to recover from one of the longest matches of his career.
READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic winning his 25th Grand Slam at Wimbledon ‘makes the most sense’
