Wimbledon: even tossed about and with his back to the wall, Djokovic still hovers on the London lawn

From our special correspondent in London

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• Wimbledon: men's schedule and results

• Wimbledon: ladies schedule and results

Before his duel with Jannick Sinner, Novak Djokovic had warned:

.

And so even Djokovic on grass.

The young Italian (20 years old) was almost there.

But as in the final of Roland-Garros last year, the Serb made a detour to the locker room after having conceded the first two sets.

A saving break.

, he smiled warmly, in reference to his stops which had caused a small controversy in Paris.

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And as against Stefanos Tsitsipas Porte d'Auteuil, he was able to turn the tide of the match to win 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 and reach a 43rd semi-final in Grand Slam, the 11th at Wimbledon.

A “Remontada” of which he has the secret.

For the 7th time in his career, the 3rd time in London.

Unsinkable.

More constant in the exchange, more comfortable in the service and sharp in his strikes, he gradually took the measure of the young transalpine wolf.

Sinner has hit a wall in the last three innings.

With 21 winners and 21 unforced errors, Djokovic, long apathetic, evolved far from his standards during the first two acts against a very incisive Sinner.

As often, everywhere in the world, he had to deal with a public favorable to his opponent.

And when he tried to harangue the crowd, he even collected a few whistles... But, failing to conquer all hearts, he still knew how to impose his law on "his" Center Court.

Rafael Nadal continues to write history on the clay courts of Roland-Garros.

Novak Djokovic, he dusts off the books on all surfaces and particularly on his blessed lawn.

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Djokovic power 7 in London to join his childhood idol Pete Sampras?

At 35, the six-time winner has continued to hover on the Wimbledon grass since 2018. The three-time defending champion signed his 26th consecutive victory at Church Road on Tuesday and an 84th in his career.

He remains the only player, men and women combined, to have reached the bar of 80 successes in the four Grand Slam tournaments.

For his second participation only, Sinner had dominated in the round of 16 the phenomenon of the first half of the season Carlos Alcaraz.

He offered a very good resistance to the master of the place on Tuesday.

But even in the ropes, the Serbian fighter recalled that he remained, at 35, the man to beat in London.

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On his way to a seventh final (he will face the winner of the duel between David Goffin and Cameron Norrie on Friday), the record holder of past weeks in the number 1 spot (373) gave up a set in the first round against South Korean Soonwoo Kwon (81st) and another in 8th against the revelation of this season on grass Tim van Rijthoven (104th).

Expelled from Australia, stopped in the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros by Nadal, for the time being banned from the US Open for lack of an anti-Covid vaccine, the record hunter must win on Sunday to chase away the specter of a white season in major tournaments after coming close to an incredible Grand Slam calendar in 2021.