'Very, very difficult to beat Novak' - Expert view: can Jannik Sinner down Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon clash?
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Updated 05/07/2022 at 07:28 GMT
"Jannik Sinner played an unbelievable match against Carlos Alcaraz, he was very aggressive, he improved his serve a lot, he is moving well and he is hitting the ball hard off the forehand and the backhand and is returning deep," Alex Corretja said ahead of his match with Novak Djokovic. "We will see how it goes, but I think it is going to be very, very difficult to beat Novak."
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Eurosport's Alex Corretja and Mats Wilander have given their views ahead of the huge quarter-final clash between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.
Djokovic, who is the defending champion and top seed at the All England Club, has an extremely tough draw in having to face the rising star from Italy in the last eight on Tuesday afternoon.
Sinner, the 10th seed, has shown his incredible promise already in the tournament by beating both John Isner - Andy Murray's conqueror - and fellow emerging talent Carlos Alcaraz.
Both Corretja and Wilander believe Sinner has a chance if he goes for his shots, keeps the match short and has a dream match, but Djokovic will be extremely tough to beat on Centre Court.
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"Jannik Sinner played an unbelievable match against Carlos Alcaraz, he was very aggressive, he improved his serve a lot, he is moving well and he is hitting the ball hard off the forehand and the backhand and is returning deep," Corretja said.
"The problem against Novak is that he is playing someone who has a similar style game to him but with more experience, someone who is probably a little more consistent with the serve.
"But I think he needs to play his game, but also with a little variation because otherwise for Jannik it is going to be very difficult.
"If Novak gets the rhythm of the opponent then he can be very dangerous. I think it is more in Novak's hands, but I am happy to see that Jannik has been improving his game overall. He serves and volleys from time to time, he comes to the net, and he played some drop shots as well.
"I think he needs to do that against Novak as well and try to push Novak off the second serve as well and don't let him play comfortably on the court otherwise it is going to be very difficult.
"We will see how it goes, but I think it is going to be very, very difficult to beat Novak."
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Wilander added: "I’m not sure if Jannik has enough firepower to bother Novak. I mean, he has enough firepower to beat John Isner and Carlos Alcaraz - and obviously, he beat Novak in Madrid on clay.
"Five sets at Wimbledon on Centre Court against Novak? I mean, you have got to be good. It's so many different things, and you have got to win points in so many different ways because it is not enough to ball strike and fight hard against Novak.
"There has got to be a little bit more if you are going to have a chance to win. The best attitude here is to go in and try and play the right way, and that is what I'm sure he is going to do.
"I'm sure he is going to play the way he can handle. I'm sure he is going to try a few things like serve and volley once in a while and do a few things to disturb the rhythm of Novak.
"But in general, it is most probably a match-up in which Novak is just slightly better at most things. Sinner has improved so much with each match here and it is possible if he hits it hard enough.
"We know that Sinner is going to be defending most of the time, but it’s highly unlikely that it lasts five sets if Sinner is to actually win.
"It will be very unexpected if Sinner doesn't have a chance, or if he doesn't win a set, maybe at least get to five in a set or play a tie-breaker. That would be more of a surprise than if it's a very straightforward sort of match. I think that would be a little bit surprising, rather than Sinner taking a set."
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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