Novak Djokovic Ties Roger Federer With 46 Slam Semifinals and Meets Jannik Sinner Next at Wimbledon

By defeating Andrey Rublev in the Wimbledon quarterfinals by scores of 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and 6-3, Novak Djokovic has tied Roger Federer’s record of 46 men’s Grand Slam semifinal appearances.

Novak Djokovic is well aware that every opponent he faces would give their absolute best to stop him as he pursues more historic triumphs and milestones.

“They want to win, I know that. But it ain’t happening, still,” he told the crowd at Wimbledon on Tuesday, tying Roger Federer’s record for most male semifinal appearances at a Grand Slam tournament with a 46th appearance.

Hearing the spectators’ loud reaction to that boast, Djokovic laughed and observed about himself: “Very humble.”

With his 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Andrey Rublev, Djokovic has now won 33 consecutive matches at the All England Club. He is now one victory away from winning his fifth consecutive title there and his eighth overall, which would tie him with Roger Federer on both counts.

“I feel,” Rublev said about Djokovic, “like he’s playing better and better.”

Serb Djokovic, 36, is aiming for his 24th major championship of his career. With No. 1, he had already established the male record in that division. 23 at the Overtaking Rafael Nadal at the French Open last month. With 20, Federer comes in second.

The only real hiccup for Djokovic was when the No. 7-seeded When Rublev broke him at 5-4 in the first game, he went on to serve out the opening set.

From that point on, Djokovic pulled away, saving all seven of his break points and reducing Rublev to 0-8 in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

“Every time when he had a chance, this little chance,” Rublev said, “he (made) them. All of them.”

Djokovic didn’t succeed in any of his three break points in the first set, so not quite. He then went 5 for 9 after that.

The next opponent Djokovic faces is No. 8 seed Jannik Sinner defeated Roman Safiullin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of a major tournament for the first time on Tuesday.

Against Sinner, a 21-year-old Italian, Djokovic has triumphed in both of their prior head-to-head encounters. This includes the Wimbledon quarterfinals from a year ago, where Djokovic lost the opening two sets before winning in five.

“It’s for sure one of the toughest — if not the toughest — challenge,” Speaking of playing Djokovic, Sinner said.

The following two male quarterfinal matches are on Wednesday: No. 1 The contest between No. 6 Holger Rune and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. unseeded Chris Eubanks.

Sinner will be the most recent player to try to stop Djokovic on Friday, who needs two victories to travel to the United States. Open in August with the goal of winning the first male Grand Slam since Rod Laver’s feat in 1969.

“Any tennis player wants to be in a situation where they are the underdog on the court. … We all operate under pressure. Our sport includes it. It’s never going to go away, regardless of how many Grand Slams you win or how many matches you won or how many years you are playing professionally on the tour,” Djokovic said. “Every time I step out onto the court, especially here at Wimbledon’s Centre Court, the pressure is intense. However, it also inspires me to play my best tennis, motivates me beyond anything I could have ever imagined, and awakens in me the most beautiful emotions.”

Reference: www.usnews.com