Djokovic Wins 5-Hour Wimbledon Quarterfinal, Setting Sinner Semifinal Rematch

Q: With Sinner the heavy favorite, is Novak Djokovic now Wimbledon's biggest underdog?

No. Djokovic is an underdog against Jannik Sinner, but not Wimbledon's biggest underdog overall. The evidence clearly points to Sinner as the favorite. He is the defending champion, world No. 1, and has been dominant at this tournament, reaching the semi-finals without dropping a set in his last four matches. He beat Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, fired 16 aces, and has won 14 consecutive sets. Betting markets also strongly favor him, with title odds around -175 to -200, while Djokovic is a distant second choice at roughly +900. Djokovic’s case as an underdog is real. He is 39, carrying a leg issue from a five-hour, 15-minute quarter-final, and is facing a younger opponent who has recently had the edge in this rivalry. Sinner leads their head-to-head 6-5 and beat Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon semi-final. Experts such as Caroline Wozniacki and Mats Wilander have described Sinner as the heavy favorite. But calling Djokovic the tournament’s biggest underdog goes too far. He is still a seven-time Wimbledon champion, now into a record 55th Grand Slam semi-final, and remains one of the most dangerous grass-court players in the field. Even with his age and physical concerns, his history at the All England Club makes him a credible title threat, not a long-shot in the true sense. So the sharper reading is this: Djokovic is the underdog in the semi-final against Sinner, but his pedigree means he is still too proven to be labeled Wimbledon's biggest underdog.

Q: As their rivalry deepens, will this semi-final finally signal a changing of the guard?

Not yet definitively, but this semi-final could become the clearest marker if Jannik Sinner beats Novak Djokovic again at Wimbledon. The evidence points both ways. Sinner, 24, arrives as world No. 1, defending champion and the form player in the draw. He leads their head-to-head 6-5, has won their most recent Wimbledon semi-final, and has looked dominant this fortnight, winning 14 straight sets and serving superbly against Jan-Lennard Struff. With Carlos Alcaraz out, bookmakers and several analysts have made Sinner the clear title favorite. But Djokovic remains a poor candidate for a ceremonial handover. Even at 39, he has reached a 55th Grand Slam semi-final and is still chasing a record 25th major. He just survived a five-hour, 15-minute quarter-final despite a leg issue, underlining the resilience that has defined his career. He also beat Sinner in this year’s Australian Open semi-final, showing he can still win the biggest matches in the rivalry. What makes this meeting so significant is the surface and the stage. Wimbledon has long been Djokovic’s stronghold, and a second straight semi-final loss there to Sinner would carry more symbolic weight than a defeat elsewhere. It would suggest that Sinner is not just matching him across surfaces, but taking over on Djokovic’s most historic ground. So the semi-final is less a guaranteed changing of the guard than a test of whether the transition is truly underway. If Sinner wins, the symbolism will be hard to ignore.

3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Jul 7

5 hours and 15 minutes was all Novak Djokovic needed to edge Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 and reach a record eighth straight Wimbledon semifinal.
10-4 in the fifth-set super tiebreak decided it after a match of razor-thin margins, with Auger-Aliassime committing nine errors in the breaker and Djokovic producing the only two service breaks of the Canadian's tournament.
45 career wins over top-five opponents now give Djokovic the ATP record, and the 39-year-old sits two victories from a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.
Jannik Sinner awaits after the defending champion beat Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, setting up a rematch with Djokovic, who snapped a five-match skid against the world No. 1 at this year's Australian Open.