Jannik Sinner preps for the toughest challenge in tennis against Djokovic

The 21-year-old has reached a career-high No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and lifted eight tour-level trophies. However, the Italian had lost in the quarter-finals at all four majors before his victory on Tuesday at Wimbledon against Roman Safiullin.

“For sure physically I have improved. I'm much stronger,” Sinner said after improving to 1-4 in Slam quarter-finals. “I can stay on court for many hours without suffering. Also mentally you're going in a slightly different mental side on court knowing you are also Top 10 player. It is a little bit different. You might go as a favourite most of the time on the court until certain rounds of the tournament. Sinner enters the showdown with the seven-time Wimbledon champion on the heels of a milestone. He chalks up his success in 2023, a season that has seen him put up an impressive 36-10 record, to being physically stronger and mentally more equipped to vope with the pressures of high-stakes tennis.

After a high-octane start by both players under the roof on a sometimes slippery Court One, Sinner broke for a 5-4 lead with a barrage of big shots from the baseline and comfortably held serve in the next game to go a set up on Safiullin.

World number 92 Safiullin did not let his optimism dip after surrendering his serve early in the second set and the Wimbledon debutant reeled off five games in a row from 1-3 down to draw level in the match.

“I was a break up in the second set and I got down mentally a bit, so this is a part we’re working on a lot,” Sinner said. “Obviously happy how I reacted in the next couple of sets and he’s a tough player to play against.

Jannik Sinner beat Russia's Roman Safiullin in their men's singles quarter final match at Wimbledon on Tuesday to make it though to the men's semi final in Friday.     Eighth seed Sinner beat the world number 92 in four sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in just over two hours of play. while Sinner’s Gucci hold-all was the first high-end luggage bag to be brought onto the London court, it’s not quite the watershed moment fashion fanatics might hope for. Permission for the highly-engineered moment was granted after a lengthy approval process involving the International Tennis Federation, Association of Tennis Professionals and Wimbledon. More spontaneous, individual displays of taste and personality are still a ways off. Last year, Kyrgios was given a warning after his decision to wear a pair of red and gold Air Jordan 1 Lows to a post-match interview. But it’s a step in a new direction. As Sinner told Women’s Wear Daily, “(This bag) will create a conversation.”

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Sarah H

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