John McEnroe's 10-word line sums up Novak Djokovic struggles vs Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon

The 15-year age difference between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner was there for all to see in their Wimbledon semi-final. That was the opinion of John McEnroe, who was incredibly impressed by what he saw from the young Italian, who raced into the final in straight sets.

Sinner was rapid out of the blocks, clinching the first set 6-3 after an early break, before repeating the trick by breaking again in the second. The 23-year-old served immaculately and dominated the baseline rallies, not giving his 38-year-old opponent a sniff as he won 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes to reach his first Wimbledon final.

Djokovic had been hoping to win his 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year, but has been on that quest for some time. The Serbian won three Grand Slams in 2023, but was beaten in the Wimbledon final by 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz and seeded sixth this year, behind a group of younger players.

McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion himself, felt Djokovic's pain as he toiled against Sinner in the early stages on Centre Court.

READ MORE: BBC Wimbledon viewers have same complaint about commentary on Carlos Alcaraz clash

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz vs Taylor Fritz Wimbledon semi-final suspended TWICE as fans fall ill

"He's seeing a mirror image of himself from the past," McEnroe said on BBC One. He added: "Djokovic is feeling a pressure to do something he doesn't normally have to do which is take more risks. With Sinner it's a different story.

"Djokovic had a very sluggish start against [Alex] de Minaur and this hasn't been one of his better sets either but this has a lot to do with what Sinner is bringing to the court right now."

Speaking about the young Italian, McEnroe commented: "The art of the slide was something you didn't see a lot before Novak but now you're watching a carbon copy in Sinner, who has learned from the master."

And after Djokovic went a break down in the second set, the American said: "This is uncharacteristic for what we've seen over the last two decades from Novak but it's been down to Sinner. He's taken it to Novak from the first point. It's been like a blur these past 45 minutes.

"There's probably five things going on his mind. One is how do I get myself in this match? How do I use the crowd to my advantage? What can I do differently? Has my time passed? You get some evil thoughts in your head, even him."

Sinner will face Alcaraz in the final on Sunday after the Spaniard came through against Taylor Fritz in four sets. The defending champion was in sparkling form against the American fifth seed and will now have the chance to win the title for the third straight year.

"It was a really difficult match. It was tough with the conditions, really hot," Alcaraz said. "I am just happy in the four sets, saving two set points. I am really proud about the way I stayed calm. I am really pleased about my level today."