
Novak Djokovic (left) and Jannik Sinner are set to face each other in the Wimbledon semifinal on July 11, 2025. Photo: AP
John McEnroe, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, said Novak Djokovic has a "slight edge" over Jannik Sinner going into Friday's semifinal at Wimbledon. Both Djokovic and Sinner reached the semifinals on Wednesday after winning their respective matches against Fabio Cobolli and Ben Shelton. While Djokovic, 38, is chasing his record-equalling 8th Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam crown, Sinner, 23, is chasing his maiden title at the oldest Grand Slam event. Sinner is yet to reach a final at the All England Club – his best remains a semifinal finish, coming in 2023 and 2025.
However, his most recent performance against Djokovic is promising, with him beating the Serbian in the French Open semifinal five weeks ago. Sinner, however, lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz, who is in contention for a Wimbledon hat-trick after winning the crown in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Alcaraz faces Taylor Fritz in the other semifinal.
But McEnroe, who himself won three Wimbledon singles titles, feels Djokovic is the favourite against Sinner in the semifinals. "Wimbledon is Novak’s best chance to win another slam, absolutely," McEnroe said on BBC One, adding, "He understands the nuances of this court better than anyone."
The American great also said that it is only Alcaraz who has strong potential of getting the better of Djokovic. "It’s only Alcaraz with his A-game that has figured out a way to dismantle him and show everything that he’s human."
Djokovic suffered a nasty fall at Wimbledon on match point against Cobolli before wrapping up the contest, raising concern about his fitness ahead of the semifinal. "There’s a bit of uncertainty with Djokovic’s body and his stomach. I’m not sure what’s going on there but I’ve never seen a player ice their stomach during a match before," said McEnroe.
"He thinks his best shot [at another Grand Slam] is here, so maybe he’s putting extra pressure on himself because he wants to break every record that exists and get to 25. Even he knows he doesn’t have loads more chances to win majors. He’s had a great-looking draw so far but Sinner beat him in the French and started outplaying him," opined the American.
"But on this court, you would say this is Sinner’s least favourite and Novak’s best at this point, so that makes it a real toss-up, maybe even a slight edge in Novak’s favour," explained McEnroe.