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Truth is, Djokovic should be used to this sort of thing by now. He is the last member of a golden era of menÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s tennis still on tour, and after beating one 23-year-old in the quarterfinals, Flavio Cobolli, to reach his 52nd Grand Slam semifinal as he bids for , Djokovic will meet yet another 23-year-old, No. 1-ranked , on Friday for a berth in the final.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThat motivates me ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” to see how much can I still keep going with these guys, toe-to-toe,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� the sixth-seeded Djokovic said.

Djokovic enters his Wimbledon semifinal with 4 losses in a row to Sinner

HeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s lost his last four matches against Sinner, including in the semifinals of .

And Djokovic lost each of the past two title matches at Wimbledon to , who is almost exactly 16 years younger, meaning theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re the men with the second-largest age gap between major final opponents.

No. 2 Alcaraz, who is 22, will play No. 5 , 27, in the other semifinal.

Alcaraz and Sinner ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” a pair Djokovic identified as ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œthe leaders of (menÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s) tennis todayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” have combined to win the last six Slam trophies in a row.

Djokovic is more than a decade older than the other men left at Wimbledon

For Alcaraz, his career haul of five Slams includes the title last month at Roland-Garros, where he overcame a two-set deficit and a trio of championship points to sneak past Sinner in a five-set, 5 1/2-hour classic of a final. SinnerÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s count is three. Both have been ranked No. 1. (FritzÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s best showing at a major was being the last September.)

All noteworthy. But nothing compared to whatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s on DjokovicÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s resume, which includes seven triumphs at Wimbledon alone ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” one shy of Roger FedererÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s menÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s mark ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” and 100 tournament titles, along with the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings by any player.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a legend of our sport,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� the 22nd-seeded Cobolli said Wednesday after being eliminated 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 by Djokovic.

, from the returning prowess to the court coverage to the power-plus-precision groundstrokes. Not much higher a compliment is possible.

Djokovic took each of their first three head-to-head matchups, including at the All England Club in the 2022 quarterfinals and 2023 semifinals. But Sinner has gone 4-1 since.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œMe and Novak, we know (each other) ... because we played quite a lot. So we understand whatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s working and whatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� said Sinner, who out-served big-hitting in a 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal victory Wednesday. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œBut IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve never won against him here in Wimbledon, so itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s going to be a very, very tough challenge.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Worth monitoring Friday: Djokovic took an awkward fall in the last game against Cobolli; Sinner hurt his right elbow when he slipped in the last game of his fourth-round match Monday.

Alcaraz seeks a sixth Grand Slam title, Fritz eyes his first

Alcaraz and Fritz have met just twice, never at a major and never on grass. Alcaraz won both matches.

But Fritz has become a different player over the past year, improving his returns and overall game while still possessing one of the best serves around. The surface at Wimbledon can only help, he figures.