The Italian clearly beats the Serbian in Riyadh in the semi-final of the Six Kings Slam and earns yet another match with the Spaniard. Nole: “Jannik is a train”
The handover has now taken place. Nole Djokovic he brings with him his 24 Slam wins, an incredible record, but age is advancing for everyone, even for Nole who is now always in difficulty when faced with Alcaraz or Sinner. Even in Riyadh, in the semi-final of the Six Kings Slam the South Tyrolean won without too many problems. An hour and three minutes, that’s how long it took Sinner to liquidate Nole. A year ago there was a two and a half hour battle, now Sinner was dominant, especially on serve, never as effective as on this occasion. On Saturday at 8.30pm he will challenge, like last year, Carlos Alcaraz: the Spaniard beat the American Taylor Fritz in his semi-final with a comfortable 6-4 6-2.
The match
Sinner is more powerful, more dynamic and faster compared to the Serbian and he shows it from the first exchanges. Just one break is enough to give the reigning Wimbledon champion, perfect on serve today (83% percentages, number rarely seen this season), the first partial in just over half an hour (6-4). The start of the second set is favorable to Sinner and it is clear which path the match is taking: Sinner breaks serve from Djokovic who is unable to contain Jannik’s power. Another break at 3-1 and Sinner flies away to the final 6-2. Third victory of the season for Sinner against Djokovic. By now the student has surpassed the master: it is the law of life.
Nole jokes: “Jannik is a train”
The defeat was clear, but Nole didn’t take it too much: “I really wanted to entertain you more and I hoped this match could last longer. If it didn’t happen though, it wasn’t my fault“, said Djokovic. “Jannik is a runaway train, it’s scary how he smashes every ball with incredible force. Sorry if I speak like this today but it’s never nice when you leave the field with the opponent who broke your ass…“, continued the Serbian who then left the field greeting everyone and receiving lots of applause, including that of Sinner who honored him also in post-match interviews: “Nole is an example for all of us. For me it’s an honor to be able to play against him and having him around at tournaments is a privilege“.
