Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev booked their places in the Wimbledon men’s singles final with commanding straight-set victories on Friday, ending the title hopes of Novak Djokovic and British wildcard Arthur Fery.
World number one Sinner moved within one win of retaining his Wimbledon crown after defeating seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to deny the Serbian a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.
The Italian will face French Open champion and second seed Alexander Zverev, who swept aside Britain’s Arthur Fery 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first Wimbledon final.
Sinner will contest his second consecutive Wimbledon final and seventh Grand Slam final overall as he seeks a fifth major title.
“It means a lot to me to play one more final here. It’s the most special tournament we have,” Sinner said after the match.
The 24-year-old enters Sunday’s final in impressive form, having won his last nine meetings with Zverev, including four victories this year. He is also on a 13-match winning streak at Wimbledon.
Sinner said he had raised his level mentally after an early scare in the tournament.
“I knew mentally I had to raise my level, which I have done, so I am very happy. I’m happy to be back in the final and we hope for a good final on Sunday,” he said.
Zverev, meanwhile, advanced to his fifth Grand Slam final and first at the All England Club after an emphatic victory over Fery, whose remarkable run ended in the semi-finals.
The German is chasing his second Grand Slam title after winning the French Open and could become the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros–Wimbledon double in the same season.
He is also bidding to become the first German man to win Wimbledon since Michael Stich in 1991 and the country’s first male finalist at the tournament since Boris Becker in 1995.
“Once you win a major, you know how to do it and you feel like you can do it again,” Zverev said.
Djokovic, who turns 40 before next year’s championships, said he hopes to return to Wimbledon despite missing another opportunity to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s singles titles at the tournament.
“I would like to, at least one more time,” the Serbian said.
Fery, ranked 114th in the world, expressed pride in his breakthrough campaign despite falling short of becoming the first wildcard to reach the Wimbledon final since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.
“I’m proud of how I handled the progression of the tournament. It might have been just a step too far today,” he said.
