World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has aligned himself with tennis legend John McEnroe’s perspective on Novak Djokovic, praising the Serb’s character ahead of their Wimbledon 2025 semi-final clash on July 11. In a press conference following his 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final win over Ben Shelton on July 9, Sinner revealed insights from private conversations with Djokovic, stating, “Novak is a great person. I had some good talks with him off court. He’s always been kind and respectful. People don’t see that side of him, but I think he’s misunderstood sometimes,” per *Express.co.uk*. This echoes McEnroe’s frequent defense of Djokovic, notably when he accused Wimbledon crowds of unfairly casting the seven-time champion as a “villain” during his 2023 final loss to Carlos Alcaraz, per *Metro* cited in *Express.co.uk*.[]
Sinner’s comments were sparked by a moment in their 2023 Wimbledon semi-final, where Djokovic faced crowd disapproval for inspecting a ball mark during Sinner’s line call check, yet quickly diffused the situation, per *Express.co.uk*. McEnroe had praised Djokovic’s resilience, saying, “Novak has surpassed Federer and Nadal in achievements, which seemed impossible,” per *Metro*. Sinner, who holds a 5-4 head-to-head edge over Djokovic, including a 2025 French Open semi-final win (7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5)), expressed respect for his opponent’s competitive spirit despite an elbow injury concern from his match against Grigor Dimitrov, per *ATP Tour*. Posts on X, like @TheTennisLetter (July 10, 2025), highlighted Sinner’s “classy words,” amplifying the mutual respect as they vie for a spot in the final against Alcaraz or Taylor Fritz, per.[]
