"I need to learn how to fall without hurting myself" - Venus Williams reacts to Novak Djokovic's athleticism on display at Wimbledon
Venus Williams was left impressed by Novak Djokovic's impressive athleticism in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
After losing the first set against Andrey Rublev, the Serb found himself staring down at an unexpected exit from SW19, but bounced back soon to win the following three sets. With the 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win, the World No. 2 booked his place in the semifinals at Wimbledon for the 12th time in his career.
In a match that contained several points of top quality, Venus Williams was particularly impressed by one moment where the 23-time Grand Slam champion's remarkable athleticism was on full display.
"I need to learn how to fall without hurting myself," Venus Williams wrote on her Instagram story, reacting to the same.
Iconic Venus Williams tags Novak Djokovic in this IG story https://t.co/DNbm3lLCuH
Novak Djokovic will take on Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals
Novak Djokovic will now take on Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at Wimbledon. Sinner reached the first Grand Slam semifinals of his career after defeating Roman Safiullin in the quarterfinals.
In their head-to-head record, Djokovic holds the advantage with three wins over Jannik Sinner. The last time they met in the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals, Djokovic defeated Sinner in a brilliant five-set thriller 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Sinner emphasized the significance of the upcoming challenge, saying to the press at Wimbledon:
“Yeah, it's for sure one of the toughest, if not the toughest, challenge in front of me if Novak wins today because, as I said before, it's a Grand Slam. It is a very, very important round, semifinals. He has won 23 Grand Slams. Won Australia, won Paris. He is in a huge confidence boost also”
The Italian also acknowledged the difficulty of facing the four-time defending champion. He mentioned that he had gained valuable lessons from his previous matches against Djokovic and hopes to showcase his improved skills on the court.
“It's going to be tough, but I will obviously try my best, no? Last year I played a very good match against him. I have learned about it. Hopefully I can show this also on the court. I'm going to stay or I'm going to stick with my game plan in my mind, and hopefully I can execute it in the best possible way. So let's see,” Sinner concluded.