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Novak Djokovic has refused to speculate about what lies ahead for him after Wimbledon following his thrilling five-set victory over Jannik Sinner on Tuesday to reach the semifinals.
Djokovic made a quick start, opening the match with a 4-1 lead, but Sinner won six of the next seven games to steal the first set. The 20-year-old carried the momentum into the second set, breaking the three-time defending champion twice to take a commanding two-sets-to-love lead.
However, far from being flustered by the scoreboard pressure, the Serb upped the ante, breaking Sinner's serve five times in the next three sets to romp into his 11th Wimbledon semifinals. He has now won his last eight five-set matches, improving to 37-10 overall. The Serb has also won 26 matches on the trot at SW19, last losing to Tomas Berdych in the last eight in 2017.
Djokovic (84) is now level with Jimmy Connors and trails only Roger Federer (105) in Wimbledon's all-time match wins list.
However, with Djokovic being one of the few unvaccinated players against COVID-19 on tour, his participation at the next two Grand Slams is doubtful. The US government has relaxed its travel restrictions, but requires all overseas visitors to be COVID-19 vaccinated.
With Djokovic unlikely to change his vaccination stance and the US Open refusing to seek a medical exemption for the Serb, his participation at Flushing Meadows this year is unlikely.
In his press conference following his win over Sinner, Djokovic was mum about his immediate future, which he described as 'unpredictable'.
"What happens after Wimbledon is unpredictable, so I don't pay too much attention to it," said Djokovic. "I try to direct my thoughts to here and now, and we'll see what happens later."
Interestingly, Australia has relaxed its travel restrictions, with visitors no longer required to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status to enter the country. That's good news for Djokovic. However, the Serb was deported from the country earlier this year due to his medical exemption controversy.
So his immediate participation Down Under is complicated because of a three-year ban imposed on him by the Australian government, which would need to be appealed or removed. Without that, Djokovic cannot apply for an Australian visa in the next three years.
Nevertheless, an upbeat Djokovic said that despite the 'circumstances', he doesn't feel any extra pressure to excel at the Slams, saying Wimbledon has always been special for him.
"I wouldn't say that I have a completely new motivation due to the circumstances," said Djokovic. "I always feel very motivated to show my best tennis at the Grand Slams, especially here, which is probably the most important tournament in the history of our sport."
"Sinner had a lot to lose when he was two sets to love up" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic had his proverbial 'back against the wall' when he found himself two sets down against Jannik Sinner.
However, the Serb drew on his wealth of experience, which eventually helped him prevail against the Italian youngster. Nevertheless, Novak Djokovic has no qualms admitting that things weren't easy for Sinner even with his two-set advantage.
"I felt that Sinner had nothing to lose before the match, but had a lot to lose when he was two sets to love up," said Djokovic. "I could feel that on a mental level."
The Serb added that Sinner might have been fazed by the pressure of playing in his first Major quarterfinal, something that played into his hands. As Sinner imploded in the last three sets, Djokovic raised his level to prevail in five.
"If you're up against young players like Sinner, who don't have too many five-setters in their career and knowing it was their first quarter-final, you know those things play a role in the match," said the 35-year-old.
Novak Djokovic will now play Cameron Norrie on Thursday as he seeks a place in his fourth straight Wimbledon final, eighth overall.
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