Novak Djokovic overcomes late injury scare after 'nasty slip' to set up blockbuster Jannik Sinner semi-final at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic will compete in his seventh straight Wimbledon semi-final after beating Flavio Cobolli in four sets. The great Djokovic, bidding to win a record 25th Grand Slam title, next faces world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who beat Ben Shelton in straight sets in the last eight. Sinner has won his last four meetings in a row against seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic overcame a late injury scare to beat Flavio Cobolli and set up a blockbuster Wimbledon semi-final against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic came through 6-7(8) 6-2 7-5 6-4 to reach his seventh successive Wimbledon semi-final.

But there was a scary moment for the seven-time champion on his second match point as he slipped on the baseline and fell to the grass.

Tennis

'Hope to see you next year' - Djokovic pulls out of Paris Masters, ATP FInals uncertain

21/10/2025 at 21:43

Wife Jelena and son Stefan both had their hands over their mouths as Djokovic appeared to be in pain.

But he managed to continue playing and won two more points to reach a 14th Wimbledon semi-final.

"I had a nasty slip but that is what happens on the grass," said Djokovic afterwards. 

"I didn’t fall so far this year and it’s a bit surprising because the way I move on the grass with a lot of sliding you are expected to fall and have this kind of situation.

"It did come at an awkward moment but I somehow managed to find a good serve and close it out.

"I will visit this situation now with my physio and hopefully all will be well in two days."

Djokovic will next face Sinner on Friday, who shook off injury concerns to beat Ben Shelton in straight sets and has won the last four meetings against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, including at this year's French Open.

Djokovic did, though, beat Sinner both times they played on grass at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023, and is expecting a "great match-up" on Centre Court.

"Wimbledon will always be the most special tournament we have in our sport, in my opinion and many other players' opinions," he said.

"It means the world to me that at 38 I am able to play in the final stages of Wimbledon. Competing with youngsters makes me feel young, like Cobolli today. I enjoy running and sliding around the court.

"Speaking of the young guys, I will have Sinner in the next round so I look forward to that. That is going to be a great match-up."

Djokovic started against Cobolli as the heavy favourite, but the first set was not without its difficulties for the seven-time champion.

Although he got the first break to lead 5-3, just as in the first round against Alexandre Muller, Djokovic was not able to close the set out.

Cobolli immediately broke back to love thanks to a couple of fine winners and in the next game saved a set point to force a tie-break.

Cobolli upped his level in the breaker and raced into a 5-2 lead.

Novak Djokovic slipped during his Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday

Image credit: AFP

Although Djokovic got back to 5-5, Cobolli came up with a forehand winner followed by a huge serve out wide to take the set.

Cobolli, though, could not keep it going. The second set lasted just 26 minutes - less than half the time of the first set - as Djokovic raced through it with two breaks and three love holds.

A break to Djokovic in the opening game of the third set continued the trend as the Italian looked to be fading.

Cobolli managed to strike back to get on serve, but then gifted Djokovic a break with three errors and a double fault in one game.

• Sinner and Alcaraz are 'generational talents' - Kyrgios
• Djokovic reveals key reasons for player burnout

Djokovic put his fingers in his ears following the break and had no trouble closing out the set.

The fourth set again saw Cobolli broken at a crucial moment in the ninth game, giving Djokovic a chance to serve out the win.

There was a scare at the end as Djokovic slipped behind the baseline, prompting gasps from the Centre Court crowd.

However, after Cobolli and the umpire both came to check on him, Djokovic recovered and won the next two points to advance to the last four.

---

Watch the Wimbledon singles finals and daily 90-minute highlights shows live on TNT Sports and discovery+

Tennis

Djokovic apologises after retiring from Six Kings tie with Fritz, Sinner bests Alcaraz in final

18/10/2025 at 23:04

Tennis

Sinner reveals he 'looks up to' Djokovic and Alcaraz

18/10/2025 at 14:31