Dylan Bettencourt
Novak Djokovic found himself two sets down against Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarter-final with little hope of progressing to the final four.
The Serbian tennis star was only one final set away from being knocked out of the same Grand Slam that he won last year.
After losing the second set, Djokovic took a loo break which he described as the “turning point”.
“The toilet break was the turning point. I gave myself a pep talk in front of the mirror,” he said post-match with a smile.
Djokovic then won the final three sets to complete an incredible comeback to defeat the Italian youngster, winning the game 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
The toilet break motivation session is a ploy Djokovic has used in the past.
“I did that after I lost two sets in the [2021] final of Roland Garros against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas. I had to change something. I was not playing well, I was not feeling well and I was dominated by Sinner,” he explained.
The 35-year-old is aiming to win his first Grand Slam of the year after being unable to compete in Australia as well as being knocked out of the French Open.
He has already revealed he will not compete at the US Open later this year due to America’s vaccination rules.
Therefore Wimbledon is his only chance to narrow the gap on Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic currently has 20 Grand Slams to his name.
However, to halve that gap he has to get past the inspired Cameron Norrie in the semi-final on Thursday.
“I know what to expect in terms of crowd support and everything,” Djokovic said.
“For him, [there’s] not much to lose. Every victory from now onwards is a big deal for him.”
Beating Djokovic at Wimbledon is as big as it gets.”
Djokovic takes on the British talent on Thursday afternoon with the winner earning a spot in Sunday’s final.
Image source: @Wimbledon
