Djokovic Beats Cobolli to Reach Record 14th Wimbledon Semis

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after victory Italy's Flavio Cobolli during their men's singles quarter-final tennis match on the tenth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Former world number one, Novak Djokovic, won a challenging match against Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday, advancing to a record-setting 14th men’s semi-final at Wimbledon, where he will face world number one Jannik Sinner.

The Serbian player, aiming for his historic 25th Grand Slam singles title, received words of encouragement from Britain’s Queen Camilla before his 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

Djokovic faced a vigorous challenge from the 22nd seed Italian, but ultimately proved too strong for the 23-year-old, who had never previously advanced beyond the third round of a major tournament.

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To prepare for the match, the sixth seed had an audience with Queen Camilla, the consort of King Charles III, who expressed that she was keeping her “fingers crossed” for his success. Camilla observed the match from the Royal Box alongside British actor Hugh Grant.

Cobolli demonstrated his intentions early, using drop shots and powerful groundstrokes with his bright orange racquet to put pressure on his renowned opponent.

Djokovic initially served for the first set at 5-3 but suffered a break from the Italian, who ultimately claimed the tie-break.

Having won titles in Bucharest and Hamburg earlier this year, Cobolli was now faced with the challenge of maintaining his performance level against the 24-time Grand Slam champion. However, in the second set, the narrative changed as Djokovic broke serve twice to level the match under the evening sun.

Both players exchanged service breaks early in the third set, but Djokovic seized control with a break in the 11th game and fired an ace. The fourth set remained competitive, but Cobolli missed an easy winner at the net during the ninth game. Djokovic experienced a slip and fell awkwardly while serving for the match, wincing in pain, but managed to get back up to complete the victory.

With this win, the Serb holds the record for the most appearances in Wimbledon men’s singles semi-finals, surpassing eight-time champion Roger Federer, who reached this stage 13 times.

Djokovic Beats Cobolli to Reach Record 14th Wimbledon Semis
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Italy’s Flavio Cobolli after winning during their men’s singles quarter-final tennis match on the tenth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2025. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

He has also made it to his 52nd Grand Slam semi-final, extending his record in men’s tennis. Djokovic is now just two victories away from breaking his tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles ever, for both men and women.

Should he reach and win the final on Sunday, he would match Federer’s record of eight men’s titles at the All England Club.

Sinner, who defeated 10th seed Ben Shelton earlier on Wednesday, will pose a different level of challenge for Djokovic. The top seed has claimed victory in his last four encounters against Djokovic, winning in straight sets during the semi-finals of the recent French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz, who has defeated Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, will face US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the other semi-final on Friday.

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