Wimbledon: Vijay Amritraj feels potential semi-final between Djokovic and Sinner would be a 'match to watch'

Hans India

6 hours ago

Veteran Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj believes that Serbian legend Novak Djokovic's potential semi-final clash against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon men's singles would be a match to watch in the grass-court Grand Slam.
Amritraj also highlighted the growing rivalry between Sinner and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as the duo shared all the Grand Slams between them since 2024. Among the big three - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - the Serbian last's Grand Slam victory came in the 2023 French Open - while Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal called time on his career last year.
With Djokovic also at the final stage of his career, Amritraj feels the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz will go a long way after a spectacular Roland Garros final between them last month.
"I think Sinner-Alcaraz have proven to be a good rivalry that has already started simply because the last six Grand Slams, have been won between the two of them. And so I do believe that there is a rivalry there," Amritraj, JioStar Wimbledon expert, told IANS during virtual interaction.
"Djokovic is clearly in the mix at this point, hanging on especially on grass. So it's going to be interesting to see how the rest of the week progresses this week with Djokovic. If we can make the semis and play Sinner, that would be a match to watch," he added.
When asked who would he pick as the 'bigger player' between the current top twos, the former Indian star said, "It all depends so much on injuries, physical capabilities, desire and work ethic. I think both of them have shown beyond reasonable doubt that they both have their talent and work ethic at this point. It's a question also of remaining physically well and strong.
"That's why they have very good physical teams around them to keep them fresh. And so that's going to come down a lot to that. They're both 22 and 23. They've been playing each other since the juniors. So, I think it remains to be seen, but they're just off to an excellent start."
Amritraj lauded Alcaraz's variety and termed him a complete player with all bases covered.
"He has got a tremendous variety in his game. The variety was not there in a lot of most of the players today. They are tremendous from the backcourt, tremendous of the first serve. They're not great volleyers, but they don't come in much. But Alcaraz has got a good mix of all of that, including the drop shot and the lob.
"He moves extremely well, he gets three points on a serve, he attacks well, he plays from the back well and under most circumstances, he has got a very strong head. So, he's quite a complete player that way. The question is, how long will players take to be able to penetrate his defences? So, I think that's where Alcaraz stands at this point," he said.
In the round of 16 clash, Djokovic will face Australia's Alex de Minaur while Sinner will take on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
On the other hand, defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will lock horns against Britain's Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final clash on Tuesday.