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Age is obviously just a number. Novak Djokovic, who is now just one match away from securing a record-tying eighth spot. Wimbledon In the first men’s semi-final on Friday, the Serb defeated Italy’s Janic Sner in straight sets 6-3 6-4 7-6 to claim the title.
Victory ensured the 36-year-old reached a record-breaking 35th Grand Slam final – surpassing Chris Evert’s landmark in the process – and will now face Carlos Alcaraz In Sunday’s final.
Djokovic will be a heavy favorite to win a 24th Grand Slam title against Alcaraz, not least because he has already won the Australian Open and French Open in 2023.
The Serb has only lost one Wimbledon final – that was 10 years ago when he was defeated by Andy Murray.
Ever the showman, Djokovic went back and forth with a fan, who celebrated after missing his first serve on break point at the end of a tense third set. After finally serving, Djokovic turned to a fan and mimicked wiping tears from his eyes.
The junior, appearing in the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, left everything off the court but Djokovic’s relentless brilliance was no match.
The 21-year-old, widely regarded as one of tennis’ brightest young talents, will no doubt reach the Grand Slam stage once again in the near future, but for now it’s the sport’s best. There are elder statesmen who are consistently ruling supreme. In SW19.
“The semi-finals, it was always going to be a very close and tense match, as was the case,” Djokovic enthused in his on-court interview. “Three very close sets, I think the scoreline probably doesn’t reflect the reality of what was happening on the court, it was very close.
“That third set could have gone his way, he got 15-40 at 5-4 … He made me miss two shots to go into the tiebreak. There was a lot of pressure in the third, I took my chances early. But he proved why he is one of the next generation leaders and one of the best players in the world.
“It’s great to be part of this new generation, I love it,” Djokovic joked.
The early signs were promising for the junior, who earned a break point in Djokovic’s opening service game, although he was unable to convert. However, things quickly opened up as Djokovic broke serve in his opening service game as Djokovic took the first set.
In all, the junior had three break points to Djokovic’s one in the first set but failed to capitalize on any of them, while his opponent ruthlessly converted one chance to give himself the lead. Presented to
The second set followed a similar pattern, as Sunrer was once again broken early with a look of frustration on his face after playing some pretty sloppy tennis.
There was an awkward moment in the second set when umpire Richard Hague called Djokovic out for an interception, and awarded the point to the junior, after the Serb appeared to panic late on a backhand.
“Interruption [call] Djokovic said.
“I was really nervous after that call from the chair umpire, but managed to regroup and it was probably the first time in my career that something like that has happened.
“Usually I don’t have amplified voices, maybe it was echoing off the ceiling or something. “I didn’t feel like I was being disruptive, but it was a call and I had to respect it. ”
Afterwards, Hague called Djokovic for a time violation on his serve. While this time was undoubtedly the right decision, it added to the frustration of both Djokovic and the crowd.
Undeterred by the umpire’s decisions, Djokovic eventually held serve before taking a commanding two-set lead.
The Sinner deserves plenty of credit for continuing to battle deep into the third set, raising his fists to his box with a winner at each boom, including one that registered 100 mph on the speed gun.
Indeed, the youngster was now playing his best tennis of the encounter and was rewarded with a chance to take the third set in a tie-break.
Djokovic was not to be denied, however, as he once again warmed up to win the tie-break and the match.
Even at the ripe old age of 36 — tennis-wise, at least — Djokovic says he’s probably playing some of the best tennis of his career.
“I want to believe that’s the case,” he said. “I mean, we’re an individual sport so you have to trust yourself and put yourself in the best possible shape, physically, mentally and emotionally, before you go on the court.
“So I tried not to look at age as a barrier that could change the court’s decision. I think 36 is the new 26, it feels good.
“I feel very motivated and I’m inspired to play tennis which I really love, the sport has given me a lot and I’m always grateful for it so I’ll try .. .I guess I’ll get the game back and play as much as I can.”
In the other semifinal, Alcaraz reached his first Wimbledon final with a dominant victory over Daniil Medvedev, 6–3 6–3 6–3 in straight sets. Achieved success.
Alcaraz took a two-set lead behind some big hitting and deft drop shots and although Medvedev showed grit and determination to show his class in the final set, the world No.1 reached his final at the famous tournament. forehead