Wimbledon day 12: Who said what
Who said what at Wimbledon on Friday, the 12th day of the 2023 tournament at the All England Club:
"I feel 36 is the new 26, it feels pretty good. I feel a lot of motivation. It's great to be part of this new generation, I love it."
-- Novak Djokovic after reaching his ninth Wimbledon final by seeing off 21-year-old Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
"The hindrance early on in the match could have changed the course of the match. I felt nervous after that call, but I managed to re-group. It's probably the first time it's happened to me, I don't normally have extended grunts. Maybe it was an echo in the roof. It was a call that I have to respect."
-- Djokovic on being docked a point for hindrance as a loud grunt accompanied a down-the-line backhand.
"The extended grunts and the strangely timed grunts happen ALL. THE. TIME. And they never get called. Strange time to take a stand on an elongated grunt!? And then the time violation!? What the heck is happening."
-- British player Liam Broady on social media puzzled by the hindrance call against Djokovic.
"It will be special playing against Novak but it is a final. There's no time to be afraid, no time to be tired."
-- Carlos Alcaraz on facing Novak Djokovic in the final.
"All love. It's all love. All love and acceptance."
-- Djokovic on his tense exchanges with sections of the Centre Court crowd.
"Kudos to him. Amazing player. Great guy also off the court. He carries himself very, very well. He respects the history of the sport, respects everyone. No bad words about him at all."
-- Djokovic on his respect for Alcaraz.
"I felt like I was closer this year than last year, even if last year was five sets. In the pressure moments, he was playing very good, not missing. Yeah, that's him."
-- Jannik Sinner on losing in straight sets to Djokovic, a year after he had taken a two-sets lead before losing in five in the quarter-finals against the champion.
"If you think how big he is, you struggle."
-- Sinner on the psychological test of facing Djokovic.
O. Joergensen--BTZ