‘Nowhere near’ – Novak Djokovic given hope ahead of heavyweight Wimbledon clash with Jannik Sinner
Brad Gilbert has not been overly impressed with Jannik Sinner’s level heading into his heavyweight Wimbledon semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic.
The Italian came from two sets to one down in the first round against the unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic but since then, the world No 1 hasn’t dropped a set at SW19.
The 24-year-old, who is searching for his first Grand Slam of the year, was a cut above the rest of the ATP Tour between March and May, when he won five Masters 1000 events in a row.
But after his early exit at the French Open and not playing a grass warm-up event, Sinner has not been at his sparkling best for his title defence in London.
However, Andre Agassi’s former coach Gilbert still favours the four-time major winner to come out on top against Djokovic, especially after the Serbian’s five-hour epic in the quarter-finals.
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The 39-year-old beat third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday in five gruelling sets and although he has a couple of days off, Sinner is still the favourite in Gilbert’s eyes.
He said on Gill Gross’ YouTube channel, “I feel like Sinner has not played superlative tennis this tournament, especially with the forehand. He has made more errors off the forehand and he is not bone crushing the forehand from the middle of the court.
“But he has got better his last couple of matches. Struff is a tricky one because he gives you no rhythm; he plays big, but still he is nowhere near what we saw in Indian Wells, in Miami, and Monte Carlo.
“He needs to be better but if it was a football game, I’ve got Sinner as a 2.5-3 point favourite.”
At the Australian Open, Sinner looked to be heading out in the third round against Eliot Spizzirri, only for a cooling break to save him. But the heat took its toll on him again, this time at the French Open as he squandered a two-set lead to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.
Gilbert thinks there is still a little “concern” about how Sinner – who won Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome this year – can handle the heat, with temperatures set to exceed 30C on Friday in the semi-finals.
When it comes to tactics, Coco Gauff’s former coach is also interested to see if Djokovic plays hard up the middle, as he did in his five-set Australian Open win over Sinner in January, and if he will hit big into the defending Wimbledon champion’s forehand.
Either way, an intriguing last-four clash lies ahead.
EXCLUSIVE: Richard Krajicek predicts if Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic will win Wimbledon
