Novak Djokovic, the 24-time major winner, never looked comfortable mentally or physically as he labored through an injury he suffered in the prior match in his straight sets Wimbledon semifinal loss to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday. So ruthlessly efficient was Sinner, that, as even Djokovic himself acknowledged, there was a sense that the Italian would have emerged victorious against even a healthy Djokovic.
And yet, Sinner did something rarely seen while at the net shaking hands with Djokovic following his victory: he apologized to the Serbian tennis star.
Djokovic explained why Sinner felt moved to make such a classy gesture after the match.
"He apologized for me feeling bad today," Djokovic said when asked if he'd like to share what Sinner told him at the net. "There's nothing to apologize for from his side. Obviously he's done very well for himself today, and for the last year and a half he's been the best player in the world. He's gonna have a chance to win his first Wimbledon title.
"I wished him luck, it's gonna be his first final here and I'm sure he's going to be super pumped. After the finals they [Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] played in Paris, I think the anticipation for this final is big. It's amazing. They're definitely several levels above everyone right now."
It shows the kind of person Sinner is. After he lost the first two sets to Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round then went on to advance when Dimitrov was forced to retire due to injury, Sinner classily helped an injured Dimitrov pack his bags, then carried them of the court for the Bulgarian tennis player. It was a remarkable moment.
Sinner is a rare talent on the court and a person of admirable character off of it. He'll take on Alcaraz in a rematch of their French Open marathon match in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
More Wimbledon on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Jannik Sinner Apologized to Novak Djokovic at Net After Wimbledon Win.
