Novak Djokovic has extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to 27 matches after battling from a set down to defeat Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals on Friday.
Djokovic, who is seeking a seventh title at the All England Club, suffered an early scare before staging a triumphant 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, victory on Center Court. In doing so he has become the first male player and the fourth overall to reach 32 Grand Slam finals. Djokovic is also only the third player in the Open Era to reach a Wimbledon men’s final after turning 35.
“I didn’t start well,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “He was the better player for the first set. I had played my Grand Slam semifinals in the past but it is never easy walking out.’
“You have a lot of expectations for yourself and from others, as well. Cameron didn’t have much to lose, he was probably playing the tournament of his life. Playing at home is never easy for him and I wish him all the best. He’s a player I have a lot of respect for.”
Coming into the encounter Norrie had only won four games against Djokovic in their previous encounter. When asked about that match two days ago he said he had learned a lot from it. That was evident during the start of the semi-final showdown as the Brit unexpectedly wore down an erratic Djokovic to clinch the opener in just 33 minutes. Producing heavy hitting from both his forehand and backhand sides, Norrie broke three times en route to a commanding 5-2 lead. He set himself up with two set points by firing a 127 mph ace before sealing the opener with another ace at the slightly slower speed of 124 mph.
It wasn’t the first time in the tournament Djokovic has been forced to come from behind after also doing so against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. He managed to turn his fortunes around in the second set with the help of a clinical service display where he won 20 out of 23 points played. Taming the threat from across the court, Djokovic secured the breakthrough whilst leading 4-3. A costly Norrie forehand drifted beyond the baseline to hand him a vital break before he levelled the match in the following game with the help of more mistakes from his opponent.
Continuing his fight back Djokovic broke instantly at the start of the third set following a Norrie shank to go into the lead for the first time. At this point, the match had a different feel compared to the start with the Serbian being in full control. After breaking once more, he sealed the two-set lead at the expense of yet another Norrie unforced error.
Admirbally Norrie battled until the end with the help of an animated crowd lending their full support behind him. However, it was enough to prevent Djokovic from securing a place in his eighth Wimbledon final. He did so by firing a serve down the centre of the court that Norrie returned into the net.
“Cameron was dominating the play. I got lucky in the second set to break his serve at 4-3 after he missed a couple put aways. From then the momentum shifted a little bit,” Djokovic commented on his comeback.
The 20-time major winner will next take on Nick Kyrgios for the title on Sunday afternoon in could be a blockbuster encounter.
“One thing for sure is that there is going to be a lot of fireworks, emotionally, from both of us,” Djokovic jokes about playing the Australian.
“It’s going to be his first Grand Slam final. He’s very excited and doesn’t have much to lose. He always plays like that, freely and he has one of the biggest serves in the game.’
“We haven’t played for some time and I have never won a set off him. Hopefully, it can be different this time. It’s another final for me at Wimbledon and hopefully, that experience can work in my favour. “
Kyrgios is through to his maiden Grand Slam final after Rafael Nadal withdrew from their clash due to an abdominal tear. The Australian admits he previously had a rocky relationship with Djokovic but the two have since put their differences aside. Revealing that they message each other on Instagram with the former world No.1 joking earlier this week he would see Kyrgios on Sunday (in the final) which he now will.
“We have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird,” said Kyrgios. “I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. I think it was healthy for the sport. Every time we played each other, there was hype around it. It was interesting for the media, the people watching and all that.’
“I felt like I was almost the only kind of player and someone to stand up for him with all that drama at the Australian Open. I feel like that’s where respect is kind of earned. Not on the tennis court, but I feel like when a real-life crisis is happening and someone stands up for you.”
Djokovic trails Kyrgios 0-2 in their head-to-head but they haven’t clashed on the Tour since 2017.
