Sinner dominates Djokovic to set up Wimbledon final against Zverev

The world No. 1 delivered one of his most complete performances of the tournament, combining relentless baseline hitting with outstanding serving to end Djokovic's bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title. Sinner wrapped up victory in two hours and 20 minutes, avenging his five-set defeat to the Serbian in this year's Australian Open semi-finals.

"It means a lot to me that I can play one more final here," Sinner said. "It's the most special tournament we have. Playing against Novak is always special because what he's still doing is amazing. He's a true inspiration for everyone."

Sunday's final will see the tournament's top two seeds meet, with Sinner taking on second seed Alexander Zverev, who earlier defeated British wildcard Arthur Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first Wimbledon final. The German, fresh from winning his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, will attempt to end a nine-match losing streak against the Italian.

Sinner arrives in the title match in formidable form. After being pushed to four sets in his opening-round victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, he has won 17 consecutive sets and will now contest his first Grand Slam final of 2026 after reaching all four major finals last season. Victory on Sunday would also bring up his 100th career Grand Slam match win.

The defending champion controlled Friday's semi-final from the outset. He secured the decisive break late in the opening set after piling pressure on Djokovic's serve, then tightened his grip on the contest by breaking midway through the second before serving out both sets with authority.

Djokovic finally earned his first break point nearly two hours into the match early in the third set, but Sinner erased the opportunity with an ace before maintaining control to complete the victory without allowing the Serbian any route back into the contest.

The statistics reflected Sinner's dominance. He struck 16 aces, won 88 percent of points behind his first serve and faced just a single break point throughout the match. It was only the third completed Grand Slam match of Djokovic's career in which he failed to break serve, with Sinner responsible for two of those occasions.

"I knew today I had to raise my level," Sinner said. "I tried to make a couple of adjustments after Australia. I wanted to stay aggressive and serve well because, in my opinion, he's the best returner in the game."

The victory continued Sinner's recent dominance over Djokovic, improving his record to seven wins in their 12 meetings and giving him victories in six of their past seven encounters. It also levelled their Wimbledon rivalry at two wins apiece after defeats in the 2023 semi-finals and victory for Sinner in the last four a year ago.

Djokovic, 39, had entered the match after surviving the longest Wimbledon quarter-final in history against Felix Auger-Aliassime, lasting five hours and 15 minutes. But after several physically demanding matches earlier in the tournament, he was unable to match Sinner's intensity and precision.

The defeat also extended a recent trend at the All England Club, where Djokovic has now been eliminated by either Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz in each of the past four championships.

Sinner, who captured his first Wimbledon title by defeating Alcaraz in last year's final, now has the chance to successfully defend the trophy. A victory over Zverev would further underline the dominance he and Alcaraz have established in men's tennis, with the pair accounting for 10 of the last 11 Grand Slam titles, Zverev's French Open triumph last month the lone exception.

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