Novak Djokovic faces his biggest obstacle to a record 25th Grand Slam title when he meets defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev is in hot water after ending British wildcard Arthur Fehry’s remarkable run in straight sets. The German will play in his first Wimbeldon final after winning 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 on Center Court.
“It’s amazing,” Zverev said. “I know that 99.9 percent of the stadium wanted Arthur to win, but the atmosphere was still incredible.”
Having beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest Wimbledon quarter-final in history, Djokovic is hoping to recover enough to beat the world number one.
The 39-year-old defied his years at the Australian Open in January, beating Sinner in a five-set semi-final.
But the question remains how much he has left in the tank after a draining five-hour victory over Auger-Aliassime.
Sinner struggled at times in hot conditions but handled them well in his last eight win over Jan-Lennard Struff.
The Italian has extensive experience of playing at Wimbledon with Djokovic.
Sinner beat the seven-time champion in the semi-finals in straight sets en route to the title last year, avenging a 2023 semi-final defeat and a gut-wrenching quarter-final loss in 2022 when he led by two sets before Djokovic’s signature comeback.
“He’s won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I’m looking forward to it,” Sinner said.
New British hero Fery was the tale of the tournament, becoming the first wildcard to reach the men’s semi-final since Goran Ivanisevic’s memorable title win in 2001.
However, the world number 114 faces Zverev, who is brimming with confidence after finally winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last month.
Fery, who will rise to at least 36th in the ATP rankings next week, was unable to repeat his remarkable triumph over Flavio Cobolli in front of a home crowd in the quarter-finals.
Zverev will play in his first Wimbledon final, having previously failed to make it past the round of 16 in nine visits to the All England Club.
He is the first German to reach the Wimbledon final since Boris Becker in 1995.