Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner’s heavyweight clash was originally set as the opening match on 10th July, with fans already buzzing in anticipation. However, without offering any explanation, Wimbledon has now abruptly changed the match timing for the men’s semifinal day, drawing sharp backlash from the fans.

As per the revised timings of the semis, British ace Arthur Fery will face the current Roland Garros Champion Alexander Zverev first in the Wimbledon men’s singles semi-finals on Friday. Whereas Sinner’s clash against Djokovic will follow as the second final-four match. Play on Centre Court is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm BST.

Usually, the players who have an extra day of rest are scheduled to play first in the semi-finals. In this case, that would have been Nole and the men’s top seed. But the alternate scheduling has now triggered a major backlash from the crowd.

At the same time, the schedule does bring a few benefits for the British wildcard. 

If Sinner and Djokovic had opened play on Centre Court, things could have become difficult for Fery. A long five-set battle, like their AO semi-final in January, could easily have delayed his preparations. Instead, Fery gets a cleaner run into the match. Against a vastly more experienced German opponent, who is preparing for his 11th career semi-final, that may matter. It gives the Brit a better chance to stick to his usual rhythm.

And while both semis got through on time, it was the schedule change that grabbed the attention afterward. 

Fans slam Wimbledon’s last-minute timing switch for Djokovic vs Sinner match

One fan wrote on X, “What the hell they usually put first the people that are playing the qf in Tuesday, this makes no sense,” while another added, “Huh, this is surprising. Ofcourse novak vs sinner is a primetime match so makes sense but given they played a day earlier first match should have been between them.”

While some fans were upset purely because of the sudden scheduling switch, others pointed to the physical side of it as well. That is where the Italian top seed Jannik Sinner’s name indirectly came up.

One fan specifically brought up Sinner’s cramp issues in the heat, writing, “Disgrace. Putting the UK player on at working hours to protect someone from cramps due to a flaw in his fitness/preparation. Modern sports for you.” 

At the AO this year, Sinner suffered cramps in extreme heat but still managed to beat American Eliot Spizzirri. In extraordinary scenes on the iconic Rod Laver Arena, the Italian limped over to his player’s box in desperation midway through the contest, showing how badly the conditions had hit the 24-year-old.

There was also the case at the Cincinnati Open last year, where Sinner had to withdraw from the final against former top seed Carlos Alcaraz. Hence, fans thought he was favored in the revised scheduling.

Now, with the chatter still going on, the schedule change has become a bigger talking point than expected for tomorrow.