Wimbledon 2022: 'Kind of see a little bit of myself in his game' - Djokovic on facing Sinner

Defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia has booked his place in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon 2022 Grand Slam. On Sunday, he defeated wild card Tim van Rijthoven of the Netherlands in four sets: 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. While it had been a dream debut for the Dutch wildcard, it eventually ended on a good note for him. In the meantime, the Serbian will face tenth seed Jannik Sinner of Italy on Tuesday, with the latter defeating fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in four sets: 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3. Djokovic was high on praise for the Spaniard.

"He's [Sinner] maturing a lot on the big stage. I think he doesn't feel too much pressure on the big stage. He's excellent. He has every shot in his game: serve, return, forehand, backhand. He's constantly putting pressure on opponents. I see a little bit of myself in his game, as well, from the back of the court, playing flat backhands, constantly staying on the back of the line, trying to put pressure on opponents," said Djokovic Sunday.

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Meanwhile, speaking on his performance against van Rijthoven, who he had never faced before, Djokovic expressed, "I knew coming into the match that it was always going to be a tough, challenging matchup against Tim, who I've never faced before. I watched him play. He's got a good game for grass, which he proved today. [It] was a magnificent fight, especially in the first two sets."

"But overall, I've played very well, solidly from the back of the court. I got into his service rhythm and started reading his serve better in the third and fourth sets. I am pleased with the way I closed out the match. I lost the rhythm on my serve a little bit towards the end of the match, but overall just a good fight and a challenging match for me on grass," concluded Djokovic.

• Novak Djokovic
• Wimbledon
• Wimbledon 2022
• Jannik Sinner
• tennis
• sports