Novak Djokovic just had a hard-fought victory over young tennis player Flavio Cobolli in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but the fall at the end of the match made the world No. 1 feel clearly that his health was no longer as before.
In the decisive phases, Djokovic suddenly slipped and fell onto the field, but he still stood firmly ended the match with a score of 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, overcoming a 15-year-old opponent. This was the second consecutive match he had to come back from behind after losing the first set, opening up hope of winning his 25th Grand Slam in his career.
However, the injury after the fall forced Djokovic to miss the training session on July 10, right before the semi-final day. The Serbian tennis player shared: "I felt like my body was no longer as full as before. I have also fallen on Wimbledon, but this time the wound may have to wait until tomorrow to determine the severity. Hopefully I will recover in time for the next two days."
Djokovic is 38 years old this year. He admitted that maintaining his fitness and top-level performance is not easy. "Every day, I have to spend a lot of time off the pitch taking care of my body and preparing for games," he added.
Since the beginning of the tournament, Djokovic has not had to go through any 5 sets and has not faced the top seeds. His biggest challenge will come in the semi-finals when his opponent is Jannik Sinner - the world's number 1 tennis player, who just overwhelmed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic has lost his last four meetings with Sinner, including two Grand Slam semi-finals. But the 24- Grand Slam champion remains optimistic: "I think I played well in previous defeats, and this is a new opportunity. Meeting Sinner will be the most difficult match, but I really look forward to this challenge and will try to prepare thoroughly."
The semi-final match between Djokovic and Sinner will take place at 10:00 p.m. tonight (Hanoi time).
