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Has Jannik Sinner become Novak Djokovic’s Kryptonite?

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Manan Mehta | Last updated Jul 27, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Novak Djokovic has been World No. 1 for a record 428 weeks in his illustrious career. At 38 he still is the third best player in the world. Th rankings may not reflect it but a tennis viewer would vouch for the fact that the Serbian legend is just behind #1 Jannik Sinner and #2 Carlos Alcaraz.

There has been a sense of inconsistency in the Serb’s tennis in recent times with only 1 title since he won the Olympic Gold Medal last year. However, after achieving so much, the solitary title he won also held great significance as it was his 100th Tour title. Despite certain inconsistencies in the tournaments he plays, Djokovic manages to bring out his best when it comes to Grand Slam tennis.

Djokovic has struggled against Sinner

Many would also argue that if one keeps aside his consecutive final losses against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, the Serb does hold a dominant record against the young Spaniard as well. Despite his receding movements, Djokovic piped Alcaraz in some grueling matches in recent times. Cincinnati Masters final in 2023, Gold Medal match in 2024, and the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals.

The one player that Djokovic has found it really tough to figure out now is Jannik Sinner. The 2025 French Open and Wimbledon matchups are proof of a one-sided rivalry between the players at the moment. Djokovic had a great run in both the clay and grass majors until he came up against Sinner in the semifinals of both. Sinner rather easily won both matches in straight sets and Djokovic looked clueless which is an extremely rare sight.

Sinner now has won his last five matches against the Serb, and it’s been a while since someone has been so dominant. It has almost started to feel that Djokovic can beat anyone on the Tour, even at 38, but his bogey player is Sinner–who has been extremely dominant against him. Sinner also now is one of the very few players to hold a dominant record against Djokovic. Djokovic was initially leading 4-1 and after the last five matches the rivalry is 6-4 in the Italian’s favor.

If Djokovic can keep his fitness high and somehow figure out a way to get past Sinner, fans can truly believe that there must still be a big title for him to take on the Tour.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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