Novak Djokovic may not have the serve-and-volley chops of Roger Federer — the undisputed “King of Grass” — but he threatens to eclipse the Swiss icon as the most accomplished player in Wimbledon history.
On Wednesday, the Serb clinched his 14th Wimbledon semifinal appearance, breaking the tie with Federer for most in history.
Furthermore, Djokovic (102-12) is now just three wins shy of equalling Federer (105-15) for most singles wins at the hallowed grass courts. If he can beat Jannik Sinner on Friday and clinch his eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday, he’d also tie Federer for the most singles titles at SW19 and break the tie with Pete Sampras, a seven-time champion.
It has been a testament to Djokovic’s greatness that he has adapted his game to suit the grass courts. A defensive-minded baseliner, he reached the final four at Wimbledon only once through his first six years (2004-09) before capturing the first of his seven titles in 2011.
Over the years, he refined his backhand slice and grew more confident playing around the net, transforming himself into an excellent grass-court player. In Monday’s quarterfinal win against Alex de Minaur, for example, he engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with an opponent intent on slicing away in prolonged rallies, before ultimately cracking the code. In Wednesday’s semifinal win against Flavio Cobolli, he made key adjustments after losing the first set, especially with the direction of his forehand, to close out the Italian in four sets.
Djokovic will next face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whom he has lost to four times in a row, including the semifinal of last month’s French Open.
“It means the world to me that, at 38, I’m still able to play in the final stages of Wimbledon,” he said. “Thank you for cheering for my age. I really appreciate that — it makes me feel really young. Another thing that makes me really young is competing with youngsters… Speaking of the young guys, I’m going to have Sinner in the next round. That’s going to be a great match-up.”
Don’t mistake Djokovic’s “happy to be here” speech for a sign of weakness. Regardless of his age, he’ll always be a killer. Although Sinner holds the recent edge, the Italian lost to Djokovic in back-to-back Wimbledon matches — the 2023 semifinals and 2022 quarterfinals — the last time they met at SW19.
If Djokovic makes it to Sunday’s final, he will face either Taylor Fritz or Carlos Alcaraz for a chance to win his record-breaking 25th major. He lost to Alcaraz in the finals the previous two years.
