DJOKOVIC NO LOO-SER AS HE FLUSHES DOUBT AWAY
Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round, “I was playing well, and he raised his level during the fourth and fifth sets,” he said. “I played in the right way, I just missed the final shots.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC took a toilet break for a “pep talk in the mirror” before sinking Jannick Sinner to reach his 11th Wimbledon semi-final
The future Italian superstar threatened to cause a huge upset when he won the first two sets against a subdued defending champion on Centre Court.
But the Serbian briefly left the stage to refind his mojo – and his serve – returned and won 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2.
He extended his Wimbledon winning streak to 26 matches and his five-set record at the grasscourt Grand Slam to 10-1.
“He was the better player for the first two sets,” said the six-time champion. “I went out and had a refresh, had a toilet break, I had a little pep talk to myself in the mirror.
“Sometimes in these circumstances when not much is happening positively for you, sometimes these things are necessary. A little break to try and regather the thoughts and reassemble.
“It was just a pep talk, positive talk. I did that after I lost the first two sets in the final of Roland Garros against Stefanos Tsitsipas, and today it worked. It doesn’t always work. It’s not a guarantee it will always work.
“I just felt I had to change something. I wasn’t playing well, I wasn’t feeling well on the court, I was dominated by Sinner. Thankfully Grand Slams are played in best-offive, so I had the opportunity to come back. The toilet break was the turning point.”
His 84th match win at Wimbledon saw him equal Jimmy Connors in second in the all-time list behind only Roger Federer, who is on 105. But this could be Djokovic’s last Grand Slam until the French Open because of his refusal to get a Covid vaccination.
That rules him out of the US Open, while he is banned from Australia.
Djokovic, who has 20 Major titles to trail Rafa Nadal by two, said: “What happens after Wimbledon is really unpredictable at the moment, so I don’t pay attention too much to that.
“I try to focus my thoughts here, and then we will see what happens afterwards.”
Sinner, 20, won his first ever Tour-level match on grass in the first round against Stan Wawrinka and beat fellow young gun