Jannik Sinner may have won his first big battle against Novak Djokovic before a ball has been struck in their Wimbledon semi-final, according to former British No 1 Greg Rusedski.
Sinner and Djokovic are meeting in the last four at the All England Club for a second successive year, with the Italian beating his Serbian rival in convincing fashion when they met last July.
Djokovic was not fully fit in that one-sided contest, but the 24-time Grand Slam-winning legend got his revenge when he beat Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals back in January.
Now the two favourites for the Wimbledon title will meet again and Rusedski believes the first big blow in this showdown has been won by world No 1 Sinner.
The Italian has struggled to deal with the hot conditions in recent months, with his stunning defeat at the French Open in May coming after he allowed a winning position to slip against Juan Manuel Cerundolo as he suffered in the Paris heat.
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Sinner suggested illness rather than heat exhaustion was the reason why he lost his way at the French Open, but that was not the first time he struggled in hot conditions.
Now, Rusedski has claimed the scheduling committee at Wimbledon has done Sinner a big favour by putting his match against Djokovic on in the second spot on the Centre Court Order of Play for Friday.
If the opening match between No 2 seed Alexander Zverev and British wildcard Arthur Fery is a long match, Sinner and Djokovic will take to the court when the heat of the day is fading, and they might even finish their match under a roof in an air-conditioned stadium.
Rusedski believes that it could be crucial to the outcome, as he gave his verdict on his podcast.
“He hasn’t looked comfortable playing in the hot conditions. He’s still a little bit nervous about what happened in Paris,” Rusedski said of Sinner.
“If you’re Jannik Sinner, you’re hoping Zverev and Sinner play for four or five hours so I can kick off around six thirty-seven in the night and they can close the roof, please.
“Then he won’t have to think about the heat. If the first match goes quickly and it is in the heat of the day, then Sinner has a worry.”
Rusedski went on to suggest the match could hinge on whether Djokovic has recovered from his epic five-hour and 15-minute match against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday night.
“I think it comes down to the physical fitness of Novak Djokovic,” he added.
“He has two days to recover. Yes, he’s played the longest quarterfinals in history, five hours, fifteen minutes.
“Let’s not forget in 2013 when he had that epic match against Juan Martin del Porto and then came in against Murray and he was a little bit fried in that final. It was baking hot.
“When you get to 39 years of age, even with two days’ rest, it is difficult to get back. His physio is going to be the most important man on the team.
“Personally, I don’t think Djokovic will recover in time. That’s my view. I hope I am wrong. Because if he recovers, we’re in for a great match.
“But I think at 39, it’s a little tough getting back from that match. I feel like Sinner wants to throw down the hammer. He hasn’t been in a major final. That would have stung big time, losing in Australia.
“Will this be another one of those Djokovic miracles? I don’t think so this time. I think we’re gonna have Snner in the final. He’s my pick. I’m staying with him just because the quarter-final match was way too long.
“I’m gonna say it’s probably gonna be a Sinner against Zverev final, but I’m more certain about Sinner coming through and finding a way tomorrow because I give Arthur Fery a chance against Zverev.”
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