Sinner dismantles ailing Djokovic to set up Wimbledon final against Alcaraz
When Novak Djokovic strode on to Centre Court for a second contest with Jannik Sinner in little over a month, the narrative had long been set.This was surely one of the 24-time grand slam champion’s last chances for a major victory, a challenge that only continues to grow as age takes him further from his physical peak while Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz move closer to their own.Two hours later, by the time Sinner was finished with him, Djokovic’s hopes of winning a 25th grand slam title seemed painfully remote.Sinner completely dismantled an ailing Djokovic, exposing the Serb’s sluggish movement with his weight of shot and unimpeachable defence to reach the Wimbledon final for the first time with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win.A month after suffering the most devastating loss of his career, holding triple championship point against Alcaraz in the French Open final before losing in five sets, Sinner has offered an admirable presentation of his mental fortitude and resilience by immediately making his way through to another final.
Sinner, the world No 1, will have a chance to avenge that defeat at the earliest possible moment as he faces Alcaraz once again after the Spaniard defeated Taylor Fritz in four sets in the other semi-final.As their combined grip on men’s tennis continues to strengthen, Alcaraz and Sinner will be the second pair of players in the open era to contest the men’s finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, which Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer achieved for three consecutive years between 2006 and 2008.“We saw the last final – you never know [what will happen],” Sinner said.“It’s an honour to share the court with Carlos again.We try to push ourselves to the limit.
Hopefully it’s going to be a good match like the last one, but I don’t know if it can be better because I don’t think it’s possible,”The Italian extends his run of dominance against Djokovic to five wins in a row and he has not lost to him since 2023,He is also the sixth player in the open era to reach four consecutive men’s singles grand slam finals, joining a distinguished list: Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver,Before the match, Djokovic expressed confidence about his level after their tight three-set match in the French Open semi-finals,At 38 years old, his physical preparedness for a best of five sets battle with Sinner was less certain: Djokovic skipped practice on Thursday after suffering a heavy fall two points before winning his quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli.
Sinner immediately made it clear that a long, arduous day awaited Djokovic by performing at a supreme level from the off and at 1-1 he put together a superb return game to break Djokovic’s serve.The 23-year-old looked impenetrable throughout the first hour, covering every blade of grass with his perfectly timed and balanced open stance, sliding to both sides, which permits him to attack on either ground stroke from any part of the court.He served spectacularly, too, completely shutting Djokovic out of his service games.Between his punishing weight of shot off both wings, which constantly stole time from Djokovic, and the difficulty of consistently putting the ball past him, the effect of Sinner’s game on his opponents is total suffocation.Djokovic’s movement was laboured, particularly when forced to change directions in the corners.
Midway through set two, Djokovic began to serve and volley practically every other point.But completely ceding the baseline only served to further illustrate his woes.Down two sets in barely over an hour, Djokovic received a medical timeout for his left leg and inner thigh.Although a brief loss of concentration from Sinner allowed Djokovic to build up a 3-0 lead in set three, with the Serb’s legs increasingly heavy it was only a matter of time before Sinner pulled him back in.As Djokovic slowly departed Centre Court, he took his time as he saluted all corners of a stadium that, after witnessing so many of his greatest moments, now sees him in his final stretch.
“I just got off the court so, of course, I’m upset and disappointed.Mostly not for the loss, because obviously even if I was fit, I wasn’t a favourite to win against Sinner, I know that, but I think I had good chances if I was fit,” said Djokovic.“But it’s just that physical aspect that is bothering me.You’re there.You want to play.
You’re determined.But then the body doesn’t want to listen.That’s it.That’s what you can say about it.”
Notting Hill carnival to go ahead this year after £1m funding boost
Cash will pay for extra measures to address ‘critical public safety concerns’ identified in independent review of festival Notting Hill carnival will go ahead this year after almost £1m of funding was raised to provide extra safety and infrastructure measures.City Hall, Kensington and Chelsea council and Westminster city council together provided £958,000 for the event following pleas from organisers for support, after a review recommended several changes to make the event safe.The chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, who had appealed to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, for additional support, said the event’s future was secured just in time.The event always takes place over the August bank holiday weekend – which this year runs from Saturday 23 August to Monday 25 August.“Although this support comes just weeks before the event, it is a much-needed and welcome commitment,” Comfort said
Jon Stewart on Trump’s sweeping bill: ‘What is Ice going to do when they have real money?’
Late-night hosts delve into Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and consider his UFC proposal for next Independence Day.Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show following the Fourth of July holiday in the US, during which Congress and Trump passed the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”. The legislation will, among other things, cut $930bn from the Medicaid budget, thus putting 11 million at risk of losing their health insurance, end Biden-era green energy credits and cut funding for 3 million kids’ school lunches.“It’s a lot of painful cuts on a lot of vulnerable populations,” Stewart summarized on Monday’s Daily Show. “But, to be fair, at least America will finally make a dent on the deficit
Is Possession about a harrowing divorce or a woman with an octopus kink? Why not both?
Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession is genuinely unhinged and utterly unforgettable. Żuławski called it “a very true-to-life autobiographical story”, which it is: when he made it in 1981, his own marriage had just collapsed, and as portraits of divorce go, Possession is a pretty spectacular one. But Żuławski also once described Possession as a film about a woman who “fucks with an octopus”, which it is too.A co-production between France and West Germany that was shot in West Berlin by a Polish director, Possession opens as Mark (Sam Neill), a spy, returns home and finds that his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani), wants a divorce. She’s having an affair, she reveals, ostensibly with Heinrich (Heinz Bennent) – exactly the kind of lofty weirdo you’d hate your wife to dump you for
Bayeux tapestry to return to Britain for first time in 900 years
The Bayeux tapestry will return to the UK for the first time in more than 900 years as part of a landmark loan agreement by Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron.The 70-metre embroidered cloth depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conquerer took the English throne from Harold Godwinson and become the first Norman king of England.It will go on display at the British Museum from September next year, in exchange for the Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the Lewis chessmen and other treasures.The loan is to be officially announced during the French president’s state visit on Wednesday at the British Museum, which has been closed to the public for the day. A blockbuster exhibition offering the chance to see the tapestry up close for the first time on UK soil since its creation is also expected to boost London’s visitor economy
The Guide #198: Finally, Superman meets his match
As comic book movies go, the Superman reboot is a biggie. It’s the first film from DC Studios, created by Warner Bros in 2022 in an attempt finally to rival Marvel. And it marks the start of the newly rebooted DC Universe, which has seen studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran merrily culling storylines, cancelling projects, and recasting characters (to much online frothing).So why am I struggling to care? Is it the Russian-doll rebooting? Is it franchise fatigue? No, it’s Superman! The dullest hero of them all! Too good to be interesting, too strong to be truly fallible and definitely too Boy Scouty to be funny, I’ve always found him a less exciting prospect than other supers.But Gunn, who wrote and directed the film, seems to have a plan to make Superman less of a snooze
‘The army were on the streets – and we were bored’: Stiff Little Fingers on making Alternative Ulster
‘There wasn’t time to sit down and discuss politics and the future of the world, or your aims and aspirations. You just did stuff’I was approached by Gavin Martin, who ran a fanzine called Alternative Ulster. He wanted to put a flexi-disc on the cover and said: “Can we use Suspect Device?” That was going to be Still Little Fingers’ debut single so I told him he couldn’t have that, but I would write him a song.It’s the old adage – write about what you know. The opening line is: “There’s nothin’ for us in Belfast
Rachel Reeves to try to reassure City investors after unexpected UK GDP fall
Rubio in bind as he seeks to reassure south-east Asia, even as it faces Trump tariffs
AI-generated child sexual abuse videos surging online, watchdog says
Children limiting own smartphone use to manage mental health, survey finds
No one ever got rich writing off Novak Djokovic, but even he can’t stretch time for ever | Jonathan Liew
‘You can’t keep slowing the game down’: Root wants to limit number of ball changes