Put off by the umpire? The crowd? You must be Djoking!

KING NOVAK IS AN ATHLETE OF PURE STEEL, HE IS A TENNIS PLAYER LIKE NO OTHER...

- ANDY DUNN

AT ONE point, it looked as though Novak Djokovic's toughest opponent in his 12th Wimbledon semi-final might be a Yorkshireman in a high chair.

At another, it looked like it might be a lippy punter in the crowd.

But we all know the fate of Djokovic's opponents on Centre Court and, once again, it was no different than it has been ever since Andy Murray somehow got the better of him in the 2013 final.

This is an athlete made of pure steel, a tennis player like no other.

So when umpire Richard Haigh penalised Djokovic for an ill-timed, off-putting grunt early in the second set, it simply inspired the Serb. So when one particular spectator led some anti-Novak raucousness, it simply inspired the Serb.

And his real albeit hapless - opponent, Jannik Sinner, must have despaired.

What chance did the young Italian have of laying a glove on a 23-times Grand Slam winner with more than a point to prove?