The Sorcerer and His Apprentice: Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner meet again

Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic could be forgiven if, during their upcoming Wimbledon semifinal, either man glanced across the net and felt as if he were peering into a mirror held up by Father Time. As if the image therein was of the same man, during different stages of his career.

Most of the chatter going into this Wimbledon was about a potential rematch in the budding rivalry between 23-year-old Sinner and 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, a match-up that exploded like a fireworks display a few weeks ago in Paris. But Djokovic’s record at Wimbledon, along with his talent for always—but always—surpassing expectations, has become a surprising detour on the road to that reprisal.

It may be an exaggeration to describe this match as Djokovic’s last stand. Such ideas had been floated before, only for Djokovic to shatter them. But it still looks like this may be the 38-year-old’s last best chance to become the only man or woman with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. He loves the quick points and soft and friendly grass courts of Wimbledon, where he’s earned seven titles. He’s healthier than he’s been in a long time. But he is 38.

“Last year, I was still doubting whether the [previously injured] knee would hold up, or whether I was able to slide or do my movement as freely as I want,” Djokovic, who is seeded No. 6, said in his pre-Wimbledon press conference. “This year I'm not thinking about the knee, nor do I have any other major physical issue to think about.”

(Well, aside from the spill he took at the very end of his quarterfinal win over Flavio Cobolli.)

Beyond that, Djokovic put paid to his analysis. He is, or should be, swollen with confidence as he prepares to clash with his most distinguished understudy, who shows no signs of having been psychically scarred by his epic Roland Garros final loss.

This scenario, in which a protégé is charged with laying low his mentor, is not unfamiliar. But it is always compelling. In this case it is enhanced by their history as well as the striking similarity between Sinner, the pale youth at the peak of the sport, and the grizzled champion.

Both men are rangy, lean, athletic sharpshooters whose shots are remarkably grooved and precise.

“I think it's obvious that in style we have quite a bit of similarities,” Djokovic said, earlier in the tournament. “We try to take the ball early, be aggressive, dominate the exchange from the baseline.”

Sinner concurred: “I still believe we are different players, no? [But] We do have a couple of similarities in a way of how we maybe hit the ball on the forehand and backhand. He mixes up the game a little bit more. I may be a little bit the faster hitter. But in the other way, I'm also quite consistent, like he is.”

Those are measured words devoid of false humility. But, as Ben Shelton said of his quarterfinal rival before their dust-up, “Then you have Sinner. Don't really need to say anything there. The guy's a machine.”

Djokovic has often been described with those or similar words.

The congruity of the men goes well beyond their preference for aggressive tennis launched from the platform of the baseline. As kids, both players were avid skiers before deciding to focus on tennis. They were also both trained by a man whose name the cognoscenti utter with some reverence, Riccardo Piatti.

Now 67, the Italian trainer has a well-documented aversion to traveling far from his base. He operates out of an eponymous academy on the Italian Riviera, where his fingerprints are all over numerous successful pros. Paitti worked with Djokovic, then 18, from late 2005 until June of the following year. But he refused a full-time globetrotting role and Djokovic turned to Marian Vajda.

Piatti has a deeper relationship with Sinner, who went to live and train with him at age 13 in 2013, and remained his protege until 2022. When Sinner was 14, Piatti arranged for Djokovic to hit with him.

“Already at that point, he (Sinner) was skinny and tall, kind of like myself, but he was just ripping the ball,” Djokovic said at Wimbledon. A superstar and icon more than willing to climb down from his pedestal to dispense advice to any peer who asks, Djokovic explained that he and Sinner would “talk quite a bit.” and he was always “happy to share” his knowledge.

“He gave me a lot of information that I can make my game similar to his, but in my style,” Sinner said. “Yeah, he is definitely the main person I look up to, trying to do a couple of things like him.”

Me and Novak, we know us better because we played quite a lot. We understand what's working and what's not, but I've never won against him here in Wimbledon, so it's going to be a very, very tough challenge. Jannik Sinner

The Serbian star was preparing the ground for an apprentice whose resume already bears comparison to that of the Grand Slam sorcerer. At Sinner’s current age, Djokovic had competed in 24 majors, winning two of four finals. Sinner has played in 22 Grand Slam events thus far, winning three of four finals.

Sinner’s winning percentage in majors is 80%, while Djokovic’s is a remarkable 88%. It’s a stunning number because, as with Sinner’s stats, Djokovic’s include his early years on the tour. But the older man’s success rate has shown no appreciable drop off during his post-30 years. He has set a high bar for Sinner.

In another commonality, the men marched toward the semis in lock-step this year. Each had three butter-smooth rounds, but encountered obstacles in round four. Alex de Minaur blitzed Djokovic in their first set, and things were touch-and-go for a spell in the second. De Minaur kept Djokovic honest all the way to the end of a four set win.

Sinner dodged a bullet—nay, an artillery round—when Grigor Dimitrov was obliged to quit in the same round after winning the first two sets convincingly. The men were even at 2-all in the third when Dimitrov was sidelined due to a painful tear of a pectoral muscle.

After logging crisp quarterfinal wins, the semifinal opponents are poised to stage a show that is in some respects a celebration of their relationship. Of course, both men have bigger things to worry about.

“Me and Novak, we know us better because we played quite a lot,” said Sinner, who holds a 5-4 edge in wins, including their last four meetings. “We understand what's working and what's not, but I've never won against him here in Wimbledon, so it's going to be a very, very tough challenge.”

For his part, Djokovic feels he played a “solid” match despite losing to Sinner in straight sets in the semifinals on the clay at Roland Garros.

“I could have played better, but he was just better when the moments were important. So I get another opportunity. For me, this is what actually counts the most.”

Sinner’s much anticipated, potential rematch with defending champion Alcaraz is no sure thing—and in any event, it can wait.