Novak Djokovic’s quest for his 25th Grand Slam title ended in heartbreak once again when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. However, the Serb has managed to find humor in the defeat, jokingly blaming himself for igniting Sinner’s dominance over him at the grass-court Major.
Why Novak Djokovic Igniting Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon Dominance
Following his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals, the 24-time Grand Slam champion traveled to New York for the premiere of his Prime Video documentary “Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter.” The Serb also made headlines at the Fanatics Fest in Manhattan, where he mingled with Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Justin Bieber, among others.
While at the event, Djokovic joined SNL’s Marcello Hernandez for Kevin Hart’s “Cold as Balls” interview while submerged in an ice bath. The 39-year-old humorously reflected on his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Sinner in the semifinals of the 2023 edition of the grass-court Major, revealing that he had shared detailed advice with the Italian after the showdown.
Djokovic joked that his guidance had backfired, as Sinner has since beaten him in consecutive Wimbledon semifinals in 2025 and 2026, which he erroneously referred to as three years.
“I gave him all the spill of everything that I notice on the court. His weaknesses, his strengths, things he has to work on. And then, the next three years he beats me at Wimbledon every freaking year. So, maybe I made a mistake,” he said.
Why @DjokerNole has been loosing to JS at Wimby lately 🙃 #bathtubConfessions 🛁 pic.twitter.com/Ep3EhrLdBE
— TRAVEL&Sp🎾rts (@travel__Sports) July 19, 2026
Djokovic also opened up about his recent loss to Sinner during an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” revealing that he wasn’t in the best shape for their semifinal clash after engaging in a 5-hour, 15-minute battle with Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals. While stressing that he wasn’t discrediting Sinner’s victory, the 39-year-old acknowledged the toll on his body.
“The body is responding differently and that’s just biology … the wear and tear, the 20-plus years on the highest level, it’s just taking its toll. I just couldn’t fully recover for the semis and I wasn’t as fresh as I wanted to be. But not to take anything away from Sinner who won … the tournament, but it’s just, it’s different nowadays,” Djokovic said.
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After enjoying some well-deserved time off, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are scheduled to return to action at the Canadian Open, which kicks off on August 2. The ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal will also feature Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev, among others.
