Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 14, 2023 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates his semi-final win over Italy’s Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Toby Melville
LONDON — Novak Djokovic barely got out of second gear as he swept through moderate Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, slipping into a record 35th Grand Slam final with a whirlwind 6-3 6-4 victory 7-6 (4) under the Center Court Roof on Friday.
Djokovic has turned the famous show ground into his own personal stronghold having not lost there in 10 years and the Serb is one win away from a record eighth men’s title tying at the grass-court major to equal Roger Federer’s mark.
Carlos Alcaraz, seeded number 1who crushed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets later on Friday, stands between Djokovic and a 24th Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record.
Sinner, 21, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, was outclassed, falling flat on the big occasion and allowing Djokovic, 14 years his senior, to turn the screw at key moments in the competition.
“36 is the new 26” 😂@DjokerNole shows no signs of slowing down#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/QlsAlQeO0m
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2023
He let break points slip through his fingers, including two set points in the third, while Djokovic was clinical as usual, applying constant pressure on the Italian’s serve and seizing opportunities when they came. were presenting.
The second seed concluded the match when Sinner threw a backhand into the net, leaving the Serb to accept the applause of the crowd, who had cheered his opponent throughout.
Djokovic doesn’t seem to be slowing down over the years and will be a big favorite to become the oldest man in the Open era at 36 to win the Wimbledon title.
“I’d like to believe that’s the case,” he said when asked if he was playing the best tennis of his career.
“We are part of an individual sport so you have to rely on yourself and get yourself in the best physical and mental state before you hit the court.
“I think 36 is the new 26, it feels good. I feel a lot of motivation.”
BEST MOMENTS
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 14, 2023 Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Jannik Sinner of Italy hug after their semi-final match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
The difference between the best and the rest is so often their ability to step up when it matters and while Sinner’s best moments came when the pressure was off, Djokovic produced his best tennis when the tension was at its highest. .
“The first semi-final is never easy to play,” Sinner told a news conference. “I felt like my level was good. It was right, especially in the pressure points, I messed it up a bit.
The first two games were a microcosm of the contest with Sinner having two break points and dismissing them both, before Djokovic attacked the Italian’s serve and created a break point which he engulfed when Sinner landed a forehand wide.
Sinner then fended off another break chance in Game 5, leaving Djokovic through the remainder of Game 1.
Djokovic won just six points on Sinner’s serve in the first set, but that was all he needed, celebrating with a clenched fist as he returned to his chair.
The Serb created three more break points in the third game of the second set, with Sinner saving the first two before sending a long forehand to fall behind again.
Perhaps the biggest contest of the second set came against Djokovic against referee Richard Haigh, who awarded Sinner a point in game four after penalizing Djokovic for letting out a roar long after kicking the ball.
Then the Serbian’s habit of bouncing the ball for a while before serving earned him a code violation in the same game, but even those interventions failed to get his pulse racing as he remained icy to conclude the second set with little added drama.
Sinner battled to save three break points and lead 2-1 in the third set, but when his own opportunity to strike presented itself he was caught out again.
The Italian got two set points on Djokovic’s serve at 4-5 but fired on target on both.
He briefly settled into the box in the tiebreaker with a mini-break, but Djokovic didn’t feel like hanging around, eventually setting up a match point when Sinner scuffed a shot into the net and then sealed the deal when the Italian scored a backhand.
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