Novak Djokovic reckons he may have coached his own downfall at Wimbledon.
Sitting in a tub of ice at Fanatics Fest in Manhattan for Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls series, Djokovic told Saturday Night Live comedian Marcello Hernandez the story of a training-court chat with a young Jannik Sinner that has come back to bite him.
“I gave him all the spill of everything that I notice on the court. His weaknesses, his strengths, things he has to work on,” Djokovic said, in comments picked up by EssentiallySports.
“And then, the next three years he beats me at Wimbledon every freaking year. So, maybe I made a mistake.”
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The chat, in Djokovic’s telling, came after he had beaten Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the 2023 Wimbledon semifinal. Sinner has not lost to him at the All England Club since.
Djokovic has not beaten Sinner at Wimbledon since 2023
The three-years line is a bit loose with the arithmetic.
Sinner did not meet Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2024, and their two subsequent meetings there both came at the semifinal stage in 2025 and 2026. Both went the Italian’s way.
The most recent defeat is still fresh.
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On 10 July, Sinner dismantled Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the 2026 semifinals, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the only players ever to beat Djokovic three times in straight sets at Grand Slams.
“He was just a level or more better than I was. I was just not sharp enough, not reactive enough, not balanced enough to play him,” Djokovic said afterward.
Two days later, Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in four sets to defend his Wimbledon title and claim his fifth Grand Slam.
The scouting report players usually keep to themselves
The advice Djokovic described was not casual small talk.
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He walked Sinner through weaknesses, strengths and areas to improve, delivered in the kind of detail players usually reserve for their own coaching teams.
His Wimbledon record against Sinner since: 0-2.
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