'This is the match of the rest of his career' - Tracy Austin on the importance of Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon semifinal

Despite facing some injury concerns ahead of his Wimbledon semifinal match against Jannik Sinner, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic must be willing to leave it on all the court if he hopes to prevail, says former WTA star Tracy Austin.

The Serbian has battled through much younger opposition to reach the final four at SW19. However, Djokovic appeared to sustain some sort of injury when he slipped and fell during his quarterfinal match against rising Italian star Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the 38-year old still seems ready to take on the World No.1 on Friday in what should be a thrilling encounter.

Djokovic's injury scare could be a cause for concern, says Austin

Both semifinalists are dealing with injuries, as Sinner sustained an elbow injury during his round of 16 match against former World No.3 Grigor Dimitrov. Although the Italian showed little signs of discomfort during his quarterfinal win over American Ben Shelton, Sinner did admit to having an MRI on his elbow prior to the match.

Speaking ahead of the semifinal between Djokovic and Sinner, Austin revealed she felt some concern for the 24-time Grand Slam champion. The Serbian has made it clear he wants to win a 25th Major title, and he may not have another opportunity with Wimbledon being his best shot at success.

"I am concerned," said Austin in an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday. "There is a concern because this is the match of the rest of his career. He’s 38 years old, and we know that his motivation is to win his 25th major.
“25th major [and] I think the best place for him to win it is on grass here. When he comes back healthy, at 39, is he going to be better than he is at 38? Don’t think so. Are Sinner and Alcaraz going to be better? Probably so.

"They’re both going in a little bit compromised, possibly physically, and if there is a surface that Novak’s going to beat Sinner on, I think it would be grass. He’s [a] seven-time champion and [for] Sinner this would be his least favourite surface, so I’d want to be on a couch somewhere watching every single point of that match because there’s so much history on the line."

Sinner leads Djokovic 5-4 in career meetings, with the Italian winning their last encounter at the 2025 French Open semifinals.