The 2025 Wimbledon men’s singles semifinal line-up is like an inter-generational household. There is the 38-year-old patriarch, Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Slam champion and seven-time titlist at Wimbledon.
Then, there are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, 22 and 23, upstarts turned top dogs, who have swept the last six Slams and eight of the previous 11.
Finally, there is a talented inter-mediate, 27-year-old Taylor Fritz, who is into his first semifinal at the All England Club and is carrying the burden of becoming the first American singles winner at a Major since Andy Roddick at 2003 US Open.
For those who feared that men’s tennis would be wild and capricious following the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, this is like a classic summer cocktail served on the rocks. The hope is now for this to re-energise fans who have been reeling under an unrelenting heat-wave in London this week.
Of the two, the Alcaraz-Fritz match-up is more intriguing. They may not be quintessential grass-courters – are there any left? – but they are two of the best. They have just met twice before, with both meetings taking place on a hard court. At the 2023 Miami Masters, Alcaraz won 6-4, 6-2 while at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin, the Spaniard triumphed with a 6-2, 7-5 scoreline.
However, they have accumulated significant grass pedigree since then. Alcaraz is a two-time defending champion at SW19 and has won Queen’s Club twice. Fritz has excelled a few rungs below, at the ATP 250 level, securing both Stuttgart and Eastbourne this year, and also Eastbourne in 2024, 2022 and 2019. A first meeting on the lawns will be exciting.
In contrast, the Djokovic – Sinner tie breeds familiarity. The rivalry is nine contests old and Sinner leads 5-4. But the Italian’s edge is bigger than it appears, for he has won their last four matches and five of the previous six. The most recent was the ruthless, straight-sets dismantling of the Serbian legend in the Roland-Garros semifinal.
Djokovic and Sinner have also met on grass, in consecutive editions in 2022 and 2023. In that first meeting, Sinner even had Djokovic on the ropes, going two-sets-to-love up before losing.
Sinner (in pic) played with a heavy strapping on his right elbow during his quarterfinal win over USA’s Ben Shelton.
| Photo Credit:
GETTY IMAGES
Sinner (in pic) played with a heavy strapping on his right elbow during his quarterfinal win over USA’s Ben Shelton.
| Photo Credit:
GETTY IMAGES
Three years and three Grand Slam titles since, it is tough to see the World No. 1 blow such a lead, but much will depend on how his right elbow feels. He played Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal with a heavy strapping and later said everything was fine. Djokovic himself had a nasty fall on match-point against Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
It will be a pity if both are not at their optimum levels, for nothing but the best can see them through.
