Novak Djokovic’s exchange with Jannik Sinner away from cameras leaked | Tennis | Sport

Rennae Stubbs has revealed that Novak Djokovic congratulated Jannik Sinner and his whole team in the gym after losing their Wimbledon semi-final. The reigning champion won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court, just as he did 12 months ago at the same stage of last year’s championships.

Their only meeting between those two matches was also a semi-final, this time at the Australian Open, where Djokovic came from 2-1 down and won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sinner had won all their previous five matches before that five-set thriller in Melbourne, and has now returned to winning ways.

His opponent, however, remained magnanimous in defeat, as Stubbs shared on X: “Just saw (Djokovic) walk into the gym and congratulate Jannik’s entire team and Jannik again. The behind-the-scenes things you learn about players and their respect for each other is always so nice to see. Congratulations to both for a wonderful match. (Sinner) just too good today.”

Djokovic agreed with that verdict. He said at his post-match press conference: “There was nothing much I could do, losing in straight sets against the best player in the world, OK, it is what it is, it’s the reality you have to accept.”

Stubbs also highlighted the work that Sinner put in before their match. She said in a separate post on X: “Was on the practice court yesterday next to Jannik, and he must’ve served for a minimum of 30/40 minutes. It’s obvious that he knew how important the serve was today. He’s reaping the benefits of that work. You don’t get great by being lazy and not having attention to the details to win.”

Sinner acknowledged that he made adjustments from their last meeting Down Under during his on-court interview. He said: “Amazing. The atmosphere has always been amazing since the first day, and it means a lot to me to play one more final here.

“It’s the most special tournament we have. It means a lot to me. Of course, playing against Novak, what he is showing is a huge inspiration – not only for you guys but for the new generation. What he is still doing is amazing. Incredible.

“We always have very, very tough matches. The last one, he won in the semis in Australia. I tried to make a couple of adjustments, but it’s difficult here on the grass.

“He had a very tough match against Félix [Auger-Aliassime], which we will remember forever here in this arena. I tried to stay aggressive, and serving well helped me today. He is the best returner we have in our game, so I tried to mix it up. I’m very happy with this performance.”