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Serbian will play Anderson in Sunday's Wimbledon final
Novak Djokovic earned the biggest win of his comeback from a right elbow injury on Saturday, outlasting World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8 in their record 52nd FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (Djokovic leads 27-25) after five hours, 15 minutes. The No. 12 seed moves into the Wimbledon final, which will be his first championship match at a major since the 2016 US Open.

"I'm really, really pleased. I was very emotional after the match, as well, because it's been a long 15 months for me, trying to overcome different obstacles," Djokovic said. "To be where I am at the moment is quite satisfying."


Djokovic advances to his fifth title match at The Championships, earning his 250th Grand Slam victory to end Nadal's 16-Grand Slam semi-final winning streak. It is an impressive result for a player who underwent a ‘small medical intervention’ on his right elbow after the Australian Open. Just four months ago, the Serbian superstar found himself in the midst of his first three-match losing streak since 2007, struggling to recover from that injury and leaving the tennis world wondering just how long it would take for the former World No. 1 to find his best form again.

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But the 31-year-old showed signs this May at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia of the level that helped him man the top of the ATP Rankings for 223 weeks, reaching his first semi-final of the season and tested Nadal in a straight-sets defeat. A quarter-final showing at Roland Garros and a runner-up finish at the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club left the 68-time tour-level champion saying, ‘I’m there’.

And the Serbian showed it under the roof on Saturday when play resumed following Friday evening’s suspension due to curfew, after three sets, staving off some of Nadal’s best tennis to clinch his second five-set victory against the Spaniard. Djokovic has now triumphed in eight consecutive major semi-finals, and is 29-9 in five-setters.

"I think I played a great match," Nadal said. "I have not much more inside me. I gave it my best, and that's it. It's fair to say that was a great match and he beat me. Well done for him. That's all. That's sport."

Nadal Djokovic

Djokovic will next face South African Kevin Anderson, who came through the second-longest match in Wimbledon history on Friday, defeating John Isner in a six-hour, 36-minute marathon. The Serbian leads his championship opponent 5-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, holding a five-match winning streak against the 6’8” right-hander.

Their most recent meeting came at SW19 three years ago, when Djokovic overcame a two-set deficit to beat Anderson in the fourth round. The Serbian is 12-9 in Grand Slam finals, while Anderson lost his only major championship match at last year’s US Open.

"I don't know if I'll be the clear favourite in that one. I think we're quite even," Djokovic said. "He played the US Open final last year. He's definitely playing the tennis of his life. He's coming off from two epic marathon five-set wins. I don't think he has much to lose really tomorrow. He's going to come out with big serves and big tennis. Hopefully I'll be able to weather the storm."

Most Grand Slam Match Wins Against Nadal

Player Number of Wins
Novak Djokovic 5
Roger Federer 3
David Ferrer
Lleyton Hewitt
Gilles Muller
Andy Murray

2
There was no doubt that the Spaniard would come out swinging in the fourth set with his back against the wall. And after saving two break points in the first game, Nadal broke Djokovic with aggressive returning, dictating play with his forehand.

And while the No. 12 seed took advantage of a sloppy third service game by Nadal to break back, Nadal rebounded. He once again found his aggressive best to break for the second time in the set, before recovering from 0/40 when serving out the set to force a decider.

Nadal consistently targeted Djokovic’s forehand in the fifth set, especially on the most pressure-packed points on his serve. The 32-year-old faced break point at 3-4, successfully forcing an error with his serve by again attacking the Serbian's forehand. And in the next game, it looked like the Spaniard would use the momentum to storm to a break of his own, gaining a 15/40 advantage as the three-time champion’s forehand began to go awry. But this time it was Djokovic who came up with clutch serves to escape the game.

Djokovic

The Serbian faced two more break points at 7-7, erasing the first with aggressive play and the second with an ace. But Nadal clipped the baseline with a forehand down the line to earn a fifth break point in the decider. This time, however, the left-hander gained control of the point and approached to Djokovic’s vulnerable forehand, but the No. 12 seed had the answer with a curling crosscourt passing shot winner, gesturing to the crowd to cheer.

"I hit a great backhand across. I decided to go inside. It worked very well a lot of times, hitting backhands and going to the net," Nadal said. "He played a great passing shot. If he missed, we would be here talking how brave was that went to the net. He hit a good passing shot."

Djokovic finally made solid contact on a forehand return while leading 9/8 at 0/40, placing it deep in the court, and after aggressively attacking Nadal's forehand, the Spaniard hooked his best shot wide to end the battle. It was an epic meeting between two of tennis' all-time greats. And fittingly for such a tightly contested match, the rivals finished with identical stat lines, hitting 73 winners to just 42 unforced errors apiece.

Nadal will remain No. 1 in the ATP Rankings in Monday, as he just needed to reach the fourth round to guarantee his grip on the top spot.

Did You Know?
This was the second-most games Djokovic has played in a fifth set, falling just short of his 12-10 fifth-set victory against Stan Wawrinka at the 2013 Australian Open.

Former World No. 1 will play Anderson on Sunday in the Wimbledon final
In a way, Novak Djokovic’s semi-final victory against Rafael Nadal was the culmination of a year-long journey. Due to a right elbow injury, Wimbledon was the former World No. 1’s last tournament of the season one year ago.

So while that was a low moment for the Serbian, the event has been his greatest high since. After beginning the 2018 campaign with a 6-6 record — including his first three-match losing streak since 2007 — Djokovic has made it clear that he is back in top form again, and is now just one triumph from lifting his 13th Grand Slam trophy.

“There were moments of doubt, of frustration, disappointment, where you're questioning whether you want to keep it going in this way or that way, where is that taking you?” Djokovic said. “Everybody goes through that process of thinking. I don't know anybody that is managing always to stay positive, to always have 100 per cent self-belief, confidence. It's life. We’re humans, we go through that.”

But those low moments have prepared Djokovic for this opportunity. The losses and disappointments have pushed the 31-year-old, igniting an intense desire to climb back toward his top level.

“Speaking from this position right now, it makes it even better for me, makes it even more special because I managed to overcome challenges and obstacles, get myself to the finals of a Slam. Obviously if you told me that six months ago, I would take it right away,” Djokovic said. “Did I truly believe that I can get back on the level? Yes, I mean, it's hard for me to play tennis and not believe that I can be the best in what I do. I've been fortunate to achieve so much in my career that every time I go to the tournament, I have the highest of ambitions.”

And what better challenge to overcome than to defeat the top player in the ATP Rankings, Nadal? The Spaniard had won his last 16 major semi-final matches before Saturday’s defeat, entering the match with a 35-2 record this season.

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“He's probably the greatest fighter ever to play this game. I mean, he battles every single point like it's his last. That's something that is so impressive with Rafa. That's what makes him so difficult to beat on any surface,” Djokovic said. “Coming into the match against him, knowing that you have to earn your points, is already an energy-spending moment. So you have to be ready for it, obviously. That's why you put in ‘X’ amount of hours on the practice court, preparation, trying to be as professional as you can, because you need to compete with a guy like Nadal.

“If you want to be able to compete on such a high level, eventually get a win against him in the big tournaments, then you have to give it all you’ve got.”

That takes a substantial amount of mental fortitude as well. Just weeks ago, the Serbian could not convert a match point in the Fever-Tree Championships final against Marin Cilic, eventually losing the match.


So it appeared, for a moment at least, that the match could slip away from the No. 12 seed. Djokovic held his first match point on Nadal’s serve at 8-7, but the Spaniard showed good feel with a drop shot to erase the opportunity, with the 31-year-old sliding across the glass as if it was clay, coming agonisingly close to the ball.

“It was one of those moments where I think time stopped for me. Match point, I saw him coming in, I played a relatively solid shot. It was a moment of decision making for him knowing whether he was going to go for a drop shot or just smack the backhand. When I saw him changing the grip, I started running. But the drop shot was just too good,” Djokovic said. “But I did try to, like, in 'Space Jam,' with Michael Jordan, when he was trying to stretch, that's probably something that comes to my mind to describe it.”

But instead of letting that close call affect him, Djokovic rebounded in the next game to clinch his spot in the final, his 22nd attempt to capture Grand Slam glory (12-9).

“I was very emotional after the match, as well, because it's been a long 15 months for me, trying to overcome different obstacles,” Djokovic said. “So to be where I am at the moment is quite satisfying.”

Novak Djoković awansował do finału wielkoszlemowego Wimbledonu 2018. W rozgrywanym na przestrzeni dwóch dni (w piątek i w sobotę) półfinale Serb po pięciosetowym maratonie pokonał Rafaela Nadala.
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Wimbledon: Iga Świątek nie do zatrzymania. Warszawianka czwartą polską mistrzynią turnieju juniorek!
Półfinał Wimbledonu 2018 pomiędzy Novakiem Djokoviciem a Rafaelem Nadalem był rozgrywany na przestrzeni dwóch dni. Tenisiści rozpoczęli zmagania w piątek, ale po trzech setach, gdy na zegarze wybiła godz. 23:00 czasu lokalnego, zgodnie z obowiązującym w Londynie prawem Serb i Hiszpan musieli opuścić kort.
Pojedynek wznowili w sobotę, tuż po 13:00 miejscowego czasu, przy prowadzeniu 2-1 w setach Djokovicia. Ale po kilkudziesięciu minutach na tablicy wyników widniał już rezultat remisowy. Nadal bowiem, choć rozkręcał się powoli, wygrał czwartą odsłonę 6:3, od stanu 3:3 zdobywając trzy gemy z rzędu.

W piątym secie na korcie centralnym rozgorzała prawdziwa bitwa. Obaj wznieśli się na niebywały poziom. Rozgrywali fenomenalne wymiany z głębi kortu, ale i starali się zaskakiwać rywala akcjami przy siatce czy skrótami. Widzowie niczym zahipnotyzowanie oglądali, jak ci dwaj arcymistrzowie tenisa walczą na do ostatniej kropli potu.

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Końcówka meczu z pewnością zaspokoiła nawet najbardziej wymagających sympatyków tenisa. Było wszystko - wspaniałe akcje, wielka dramaturgia i zwroty akcji. Od stanu 4:4 niemal w każdym kolejnym gemie któryś z bohaterów tego spektaklu miał szansę. Ale przez długi czas żaden nie mógł przechylić szali na swoją korzyść. A w 16. gemie Nadal genialnym skrótem obronił piłkę meczową.

Wreszcie kropkę nad "i" postawił Djoković. W 18. gemie Serb wywalczył trzy meczbole przy podaniu Nadala. Wykorzystał już pierwszą po tym, jak Hiszpan posłał forhend w aut.

Pojedynek trwał pięć godzin i 15 minut, co czyni go długim najdłuższym półfinałem w dziejach Wimbledonem (dłuższy był tylko pierwszy półfinał tegorocznej edycji, starcie Kevina Andersona z Johnem Isnerem - trwało sześć godzin i 33 minut). W tym czasie Djoković zaserwował 23 asy, czterokrotnie został przełamany, wykorzystał cztery z 19 break pointów, posłał 73 zagrania kończące, popełnił 42 niewymuszone błędy. Nadalowi z kolei zapisano dziewięć asów, także 73 uderzeń wygrywających i również 42 pomyłki własne.

Dla Djokovicia, który tym samym podwyższył na 27-25 bilans bezpośrednich konfrontacji z Hiszpanem, pokonując go pierwszy raz od maja 2016 roku, to 22. w karierze wielkoszlemowy finał, ale pierwszy od US Open 2016. Lepsi pod tym względem są jedynie Roger Federer (30 występów w wielkoszlemowych finałach) i właśnie Nadal (24). W meczu o tytuł w Wimbledonie wystąpi po raz piąty. Wygrywał ten turniej w latach 2011 i 2014-15, a w sezonie 2013 przegrał finał z Andym Murrayem.
W niedzielnym finale (początek o godz. 15:00 czasu polskiego) Serb zagra z Kevinem Andersonem. Z Afrykanerem mierzył się dotychczas sześciokrotnie i pięć razy zwyciężył.


The Championships, Wimbledon (Wielka Brytania)
Wielki Szlem, kort trawiasty, pula nagród 34 mln funtów
piątek-sobota, 13-14 lipca

półfinał gry pojedynczej:

Novak Djoković (Serbia, 12) - Rafael Nadal (Hiszpania, 2) 6:4, 3:6, 7:6(9), 3:6, 10:8

Program i wyniki turnieju mężczyzn

Jest fantastycznym sportowcem, a jeszcze lepszym człowiekiem - mówi o Novaku Djokoviciu Ivan Rakitić. To niejako odpowiedź na krytykę ze strony serbskiego polityka, który nazwał kibicującego Chorwatom tenisistę idiotą.

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Mundial 2018. Novak Djoković nazwany idiotą przez serbskiego polityka za kibicowanie Chorwacji
- Kibicuję Chorwacji. Wiem, kogo chciałbym zobaczyć z trofeum - powiedział na Wimbledonie Novak Djoković, którego Serbia nie wyszła z grupy na MŚ w Rosji.
Jego preferencje ostro skrytykował Vladimir Djukanovic z rządzącej w kraju Serbskiej Partii Postępowej. - Tylko idioci mogą wspierać Chorwację. Novak, nie wstyd ci? - napisał serbski polityk na Twitterze.

Murem za Novakiem stoi natomiast Ivan Rakitić. Piłkarz reprezentacji Chorwacji mówi jasno: krytycy, zostawcie go w spokoju.

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- Jesteśmy ludźmi, musimy zostawić historię za nami - mówi cytowany przez "Yahoo" Rakitić, nawiązując do napiętych stosunków między Chorwacją i Serbią. - Dla mnie "Nole" jest fantastycznym sportowcem, a jeszcze lepszym człowiekiem. Życzę mu wszystkiego, co najlepsze - dodaje piłkarz Barcelony.

ZOBACZ WIDEO Mundial 2018. Mocne słowa eksperta. "Rosjanin kojarzy się z człowiekiem, który bierze doping"


Niedziela będzie ważnym dniem dla obu sportowców. Novaka dzieli jeden set od awansu do finału Wimbledonu (czytaj więcej TUTAJ). Z kolei reprezentacja Chorwacji, z Rakiticiem w składzie, zagra w niedzielę w finale mistrzostw świata z Francją.
- Czapki z głów przed Novakiem. Trzymam za niego kciuki na Wimbledonie, chciałbym zobaczyć go w finale. Liczę, że w niedzielę obaj będziemy mieli fantastyczny dzień - komentuje Rakitić.

Serbian celebrates fourth Wimbledon title with Stefan and family

The grass tasted sweet, again, and hoisting your 13th Grand Slam trophy can't be a bad feeling, either. But the best part about Novak Djokovic winning his fourth Wimbledon title against Kevin Anderson on Sunday? The shouts he heard from his box as he prepared for his on-court interview.

“Daddy! Daddy!” shouted his son Stefan, sitting in his mother Jelena's arms.

It was the first time Stefan had taken part in “Daddy's” celebration at SW19. Stefan, 4, was born on 21 October 2014 and was only eight months old when Djokovic won his last Wimbledon title in 2015.

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“It feels amazing because for the first time in my life I have someone screaming 'Daddy! Daddy!'” Djokovic said on court.

Stefan participated in only the celebratory part of the final. Children under 5 are not allowed on the show courts at Wimbledon.

“I was nervous. I was hoping he could be there,” Djokovic told The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the match.

Read Match Report

Serbian star wins first major since 2016 Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic captured his first Grand Slam title for 25 months on Sunday with an emotional run to his fourth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon (also 2011, 2014-15).

The Serbian No. 12 seed swept past eighth-seeded South African Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) in a final watched by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. During the trophy ceremony, his three-year-old son, Stefan, joined his wife Jelena in the players' box on Centre Court, shouting out "Daddy, Daddy" as Djokovic began to speak to BBC television interviewer Sue Barker.

Djokovic, with 13 major titles (13-9 in finals) following his first victory since May 2016 at Roland Garros (d. Murray), now stands in fourth place in the all-time Grand Slam singles final list, behind Roger Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (17), the player he beat 10-8 in the fifth set of this year’s semi-finals, and Pete Sampras (14).

As the lowest-ranked man to win the Wimbledon title since No. 125-ranked wild card Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, Djokovic will return tomorrow to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings (at No. 10) for the first time since 30 October 2017 (No. 7). The victory also boosts his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, the elite eight-player season finale, at The O2 in London from 11-18 November.

Twelve months ago, the former World No. 1 retired in the second set of his Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych with a right elbow injury, which resulted in a six-month injury layoff. Djokovic returned to the ATP World Tour in January this year with a refined service technique and gradually rebuilt his confidence in recent months, including a semi-final run at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia (l. to Nadal) and a runner-up finish at the recent Fever-Tree Championships – his first ATP World Tour final for 12 months.

Djokovic secured his fifth grass-court title — and 69th of his career (69-31 overall) — against Anderson over two hours and 18 minutes on Sunday, in his first major final since September 2016 at the US Open (l. to Wawrinka). He hit 20 winners and committed 13 unforced errors for his 25th and most significant match win of the year (25-9). He now leads Anderson 6-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Anderson, who beat eight-time champion Federer in the quarter-finals, also edged past John Isner 26-24 in the fifth set of their semi-final on Friday. He will break into the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings (a career-high) on Monday. The 32-year-old was as low as No. 80 on 16 January 2017.

“It was a tough start for me,” said Anderson. “You always have high hopes. Going into the match, I was hoping to draw on some previous experiences, playing at the US Open in the final, obviously playing Federer a few days ago. But I didn't really find my form the way I wanted to. Of course, my body didn't feel great. I don't think you're going to expect it to feel great this deep into a tournament when you've played so much tennis.

“But I was definitely quite nervous starting out the match. I didn't play great tennis in the beginning. I tried my best to keep at it. I definitely felt much better in the third set. I thought I had quite a few opportunities to win that third set, especially a couple of the points where Novak hit a couple balls. I thought they were actually going out, [but they] managed to land right on the line. I would have loved to have pushed it to another set, but it obviously wasn't meant to be.”

The South African clinched the fourth ATP World Tour title of his career at the inaugural New York Open (d. Querrey) in February and finished runner-up at the Tata Open Maharashtra (l. to Simon) and Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (l. to del Potro). He advanced to his first clay-court semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Thiem).

Anderson got off to a nervous start, striking a forehand long at 30/30 and then double faulting at break point to gift Djokovic the first game. Djokovic won 12 of the first 15 points to seize early control of the final. Although Anderson has contested the 2017 US Open, the occasion at the All England Club, coupled with nerves and stellar groundstroke play from Djokovic, ensured the South African’s potency on serve and movement was compromised. Djokovic soon led 5-1 after just 21 minutes and Anderson received treatment for a right arm injury at the end of the one-sided first set.

Djokovic carried the momentum into the second set, breaking Anderson’s serve in the first and fifth games. Although Anderson was more competitive, Djokovic kept the upper hand in longer rallies and kept his opponent on the backfoot with changes in groundstroke pace. Anderson created his first break point at 2-5, 30/40, but he struck a backhand long in an 18-stroke rally and Djokovic won the next two points for a commanding lead.

Anderson grew in belief in the third set, finding his service rhythm (having hit just two aces in the first two sets) and groundstroke depth to prevent Djokovic dominating baseline rallies. One break point went begging on Djokovic’s serve at 3-4, but the pressure kept building on the Serbian, who saved two set points at 4-5.

Anderson slipped in retrieving a deep forehand that hit the baseline on the first set point, which ended with Djokovic striking a forehand drop shot winner close to the net. Djokovic was again able to step into the court, two points later, in saving a second set point with a crosscourt forehand winner. Errors crept into Djokovic’s game and at 5-6, Anderson could not convert three further set point opportunities. Each time, Djokovic struck his serve to Anderson’s forehand. A forehand pass by Djokovic at 2/1 in the tie-break propelled the former World No. 1 onto an emotional win.

ATPWorldTour.com looks at how the ATP Race To London is shaping up
After the third Grand Slam of the season, the group of contenders in the ATP Race To London is becoming clearer, with Wimbledon finalists Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson putting themselves in good position to earn a spot at The O2 in London from 11-18 November.

Five-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Djokovic has found some of his best form, claiming his fourth title at the All England Club on Sunday to soar into fifth place in the Race with 3,355 points.

The Serbian began his season with a 6-6 record, and sat in 75th place in the Race just two months ago. But thanks to a hot streak during which he has triumphed in 19 of his past 22 matches, Djokovic has added 3,020 points, making up 90 per cent of his total.

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Only one player has tallied more points than Djokovic during those two months, and that’s Race leader Rafael Nadal, who is in first place with 5,760 points. The Spaniard, who recently captured his 11th Roland Garros trophy, reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the first time since 2011, gaining a 1,740-point lead over second-placed Roger Federer.

Federer is still in great position to qualify for the season finale for the 16th time in 17 years. The Swiss advanced to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 16th time, earning 720 points.

Anderson also solidified his standing in the hopes of booking his spot at The O2 for the first time. While the South African dropped one spot to eighth with 2,820 points due to Djokovic’s 10-spot climb, Anderson is now 600 points clear of ninth-placed John Isner, who also seeks his first Nitto ATP Finals berth.

Before The Championships, there were 13 players within 585 points of Anderson, who was then in seventh. Last season, when the 6’8” right-hander reached the US Open final, Anderson finished 14th in the Race with 2,480 points. Jack Sock, the final qualifier, earned 2,765 points.

While Alexander Zverev was upset in the third round on the hallowed grass, he remains third with 3,585 points. The German is 205 points ahead of Juan Martin del Potro (3,380 points), who hopes to make an appearance at the season finale for the first time since 2013. The Argentine lost against Nadal in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in five sets.

Austrian Dominic Thiem is in sixth with 2,995 points and Croatian Marin Cilic is in seventh with 2,915 points.

Miami Open presented by Itau titlist Isner, who advanced to the semi-finals at SW19 — losing 26-24 in the fifth set against Anderson — dropped one spot to ninth, but is 610 points ahead of his nearest competition, Kei Nishikori.