Preview: Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic – prediction, head to head, tournament so far

Two days after his incredible five-hour, 15-minute quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic returns to the Wimbledon semi-finals, aiming to knock out top seed Jannik Sinner.

The Serbian dismissed his Canadian opponent to set up a repeat of last year’s semi-final, although he enters in much better shape after a hip injury 12 months ago, as he seeks back-to-back victories over the Italian to follow up his success at the Australian Open in January.

Game preview

Is there anything Djokovic can’t do? If you think the GOAT can’t break new ground, it keeps pushing the limits of the body, and Tuesday night was no different as she defeated Auger-Aliassime in a classic Wimbledon match.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion achieved a thrilling 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(10-4) win over the Canadian No. 1 in five hours and 15 minutes to win the longest quarter-final match in the history of the Championships, which ended in 13 minutes.

Victory means the 39-year-old is through to a 15th semi-final at the All England Club, putting him in direct contact with the man who dispatched him in straight sets 12 months ago.

However, the obvious caveat is that Djokovic was not physically fit for the 2025 semi-final, having suffered a hip injury at the end of his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli.

Although the seven-time Wimbledon champion has missed three points in all but one match – his second-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas – having two days to recover has put the big man in good stead ahead of what should be a titanic semi-final against Sinner.

There may be 15 years between them, but the top seed will be wary of facing the Serbian star at SW19 on Friday, less than six months after the 24-year-old Slam champion rolled back the years to knock down the Italian.

Soni’s slow start to the year was followed by an impressive run during the hard courts of North America and a successful run on European clay; However, the 24-year-old has not looked his best since losing in the second round to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.

Most observers may laugh at this claim, given that the world number 1 won 12 sets in a row from the second round to the quarter-finals, but the first round scare against Miomir Kecmanovic and the problems in his execution, especially on his forehand, were evident at the All England Club.

Having been released by playing 97 aces, Sinner must improve on his delivery to avoid hitting another brick wall for Djokovic at the Championships, as he seeks to reach his first Grand Slam final almost a year from the 2025 US Open.

It will be easier said than done, however, especially if the man in front of the net plays with as much motivation and arrogance as he has during these two days.

The tournament so far

Jannik Sinner:

First round: vs. Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6 6-3 6-7[6] 6-2 6-3

Second round: vs. Nuno Borges 7-6[4] 7-6[2] 6-4

Third round: vs. Jensen Brooksby 6-4 6-3 6-4

Fourth round: vs. Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3 7-6[0] 6-3

Quarter-final: vs. Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3

Novak Djokovic:

First round: vs. Wu Yibing 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4

Second round: vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 6-2

Third round: Arthur Rinderknecht 7-5 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4)

Fourth round: vs. Roman Safiullin 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3

Quarter-final: vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10) 3-6 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(10-4)

Go straight to the head

Australian Open (2026) – Semi-final: Djokovic 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4

Wimbledon (2025) – semi-finals: Sinner 6-3 6-3 6-4

French Open (2025) – Semi-final: Sinner 6-4 7-5 7-6(3)

Shanghai Masters (2024) – Final: Sinner 7-6(4) 6-3

Australian Open (2024) – Semi-final: Sinner 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3

Davis Cup Finals (2023) – semi-finals: Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5

ATP Finals (2023) – Final: Djokovic 6-3 6-3

ATP Finals (2023) – Round Robin: Sinner 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2)

Wimbledon (2023) – semi-finals: Djokovic 6-3 6-4 7-6(4)

Wimbledon (2022) – Quarter-finals: Djokovic 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2

Monte-Carlo Masters (2021) – Round of 32: Djokovic 6-4 6-2

The offender may lead Djokovic 6-5 in their first leg, but it will be interesting to see how much of a scar the Italian is left with after their last meeting in January.

The four-time Grand Slam champion entered the match riding a five-game winning streak in the Aussie Open semi-finals, Djokovic blasting him in five sets, winning the last two to clinch the victory.

The win also ended Djokovic’s losing streak to Sinner at the Majors, following defeats at Australia (2024), Roland Garros (2025) and Wimbledon (2025), although the Serbian’s physical problems have curtailed his performance over the past 12 months at SW19.

Earlier, the seven-time champion got the better of the 15-year-old at the All England Club, winning from two sets down in their first meeting in 2022 before a comfortable three-set victory the following year in the 2023 semi-final.

That victory gave Djokovic a 3-0 lead over the Italian on the ATP Tour, but Sinner has won six of the next eight to take a 6-5 lead in their 12th tour match.

We say: Djokovic to win in five sets

Although it looks like it will be asking a lot for Djokovic to go the distance again after his struggle against Auger-Aliassime, having two days off will benefit the Serbian player.

Even though Sinner enters Friday’s semi-final as the top seed and slight favorite, the world No. 1 has been tied to his front wing and has not reached his machine-like form, often needing his help to bail him out.

This arguably gives Djokovic a real shot at extending his 2-1 lead in Wimbledon matches, and we’re backing the 24-time Slam winner to claim back-to-back wins over Sinner for the first time in three years to compete in Sunday’s title match.