London [UK]: Novak Djokovic on Friday produced a masterclass performance on Centre Court, overpowering the big-hitting threat of Jannik Sinner to reach the Wimbledon 2023 final.
Djokovic won his 34th straight match at the grasscourt major with a usual excellent all-around semifinal effort against the Italian, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4). Djokovic’s smooth, deep returning was a constant threat to Sinner’s serve, and he was rock-solid under pressure, saving all six break points he faced in his two-hour, 46-minute victory. Djokovic’s dominance followed Sinner’s strong start on Centre Court. The Italian created two break points with tremendous ball-striking in the first game, but his failure to convert either of those chances proved costly as Djokovic converted his only break point of the set in the next game.
To close off the first set, Djokovic skillfully redirected his opponent’s groundstrokes, and the second set followed a similar pattern. His consistency increased the pressure on Sinner, who lost serve at 1-1 after an error-filled game. Even a deuce call against Djokovic at 15/15 in the next game couldn’t stop his march to the second set, as he gave Sinner little chances to step in and take control of rallies.
Sinner was on the verge of losing his third Lexus ATP Head2Head match against Djokovic, but three huge serves enabled him escape 0/40 to hold in the third game, and the Italian proceeded to pound the ball viciously to keep Djokovic on his toes. He was unable to convert two set points on Djokovic’s serve at 5-4, 15/40, as Djokovic held firm before reeling off six of the final seven games in the subsequent tie-break to secure his victory.
Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final at SW19.
“In the semi-finals, it was always going to be a very tense, very close match. Three very close sets, I think the scoreline maybe doesn’t give the reality of what was happening on the court. It was super close,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP.
“The third set could have gone his way. He had 5-4, 15/40 and a couple of second serves. He missed a few shots and allowed me to get into the tie-break. It was just a lot of pressure in the third, especially. I had chances early on, but he proved why he is one of the leaders of the next generation and one of the best players in the world that we have, no doubt. It’s great to be part of this new generation. I love it,” said the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
