Novak Djoković

[Damian]

Djokovic On Grand Slam Titles Quest: 'I'm Not Chasing, I'm Making My Own Path'

Spoiler:

Serbian superstar happy with time spent on Wimbledon's courts

Novak Djokovic insists he “isn’t chasing anybody” in his quest for a 20th Grand Slam trophy this week at The Championships, Wimbledon.

Speaking after his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday, the Serbian is now two match wins away from equalling the majors tally of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“I'm not chasing anybody,” said Djokovic, who has lost just one set in five matches over the past 10 days at the All England Club. “I'm making my own path and my own journey, my own history. I'm privileged to be part of history of this sport that I love.

“I know about a lot of stats. I don't know about all of them. But they do motivate me even more to play my best tennis at the events that count the most in our sport.”

You May Also Like: Djokovic Records 100th Grass-Court Match Win, Reaches Wimbledon Semi-finals
The 34-year-old Serbian, who is currently riding a 16-match winning streak, has won the first two Grand Slam championships of the year — a ninth Australian Open crown (d. Medvedev) in February and a second title at Roland Garros (d. Tsitsipas) last month.

“Overall, I feel like I've been hitting the ball well throughout the entire tournament, putting myself exactly where I want to be [in the] semi-finals,” said Djokovic. “[I’m] not spending too much energy. Now I really have to be consistent from the first to last point in next match, and hopefully another one on Sunday.

“I don't really regret not playing longer on the court. [I’ve] had enough match play. Obviously, [it’s a] different surface [at] Roland Garros, but [I’ve had] a lot of different match play in the past couple of months that [has] put me in the right frame of mind, I think, for what's coming up. I had enough training on grass. I'm confident.”


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Djokovic has compiled a 32-3 match record this season, which also includes the Belgrade Open title (d. Molcan). He will now prepare to face Canadian 10th seed Denis Shapovalov, who will be competing in his first major semi-final, on Friday.

“We played a tight two sets this year [at the] ATP Cup, which was [our] first official match of the season,” said Djokovic, who beat Shapovalov 7-5, 7-5. “The courts at Australian Open were pretty quick this year, so I could get a little bit of an understanding of how well he was serving.

“You don't get too many opportunities on his service game, especially here on grass. I've seen him play against [Andy] Murray [in the Wimbledon third round]. He's really feeling great. It's impressive the way he's been playing… I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a battle and I need to be at my best.”

Djokovic leads Shapovalov 6-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... -wednesday

[Barty]

[Barty]

[Barty]

[Barty]

Djokovic strides into 41st Grand Slam semi-final

Spoiler:

Another straight sets victory for champion against Hungarian world No.48

There are times when Novak Djokovic really shouldn’t be allowed on court; it’s just not fair. There he is with his 19 Grand Slam titles and his record for the most weeks spent at the top of the rankings and he is shoved out on court against a normal fella with nothing more to protect him than a racket and a clean pair of shorts.

Marton Fucsovics, though, is no normal fella – he is the 48th best player on the planet and he is the self-proclaimed fittest man on tour. But he was still cut down to size by the defending champion 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 17 minutes. Djokovic was through to his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and his 41st Grand Slam semi-final overall. It’s not fair, Novak – off you go and play with the bigger boys.

DJOKOVIC: TOO GOOD
“I am aware of certain stats,” he said, looking a little bashful, “and obviously I love this sport with all my heart and body and soul; I’ve been devoted to this sport since I was four. Sometimes things do look surreal for me but I try to live in the moment, don’t take anything for granted, be grateful for every opportunity I have on the court and, obviously going for history is a huge inspiration for me and, you know, let’s keep it going.

“I think it was a solid performance. I started off extremely well, I didn’t do too many things wrong in my game in the first six games of the match. I managed to close it out at 5-3. I guess one break of serve in the second and third set was enough to clinch the victory today.”

There is no delicate way to put this (and we like to be polite) so we will just have to be blunt: no one was giving Fucsovics a meringue in a mangle’s chance on Wednesday. No way. Not going to happen. Don’t be daft. He’s playing Djokovic, for pity’s sake.

Ah, yes: Djokovic. The all-conquering world No.1; the champion of Australia and Roland-Garros and the man who has made it his mission to complete the Grand Slam proper. The Golden Slam, even (he has his eyes set on the Olympic gold medal, too). And the man who had beaten Fucsovics in their two previous meetings. Yes, him.

But if the Hungarian was looking for a bit of encouragement and inspiration, he could have thought of Andrey Rublev. From Roland-Garros last year to the Miami Open at the end of March, he lost to Rublev four times. In Dubai, after the third defeat, he told the Russian “I hope I don’t play you anymore this year!”. He did not get his wish.

I’VE BEEN DEVOTED TO THIS SPORT SINCE I WAS FOUR. OBVIOUSLY GOING FOR HISTORY IS A HUGE INSPIRATION FOR ME
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
They locked horns again on Manic Monday but this time, Fucsovics got his revenge: he won in five sets. Perseverance, a much better feeling for the grass and a willingness to take his chances had finally brought its reward. If he could beat Rublev after all those disappointments then maybe he could do the same to Djokovic. The pundits were not convinced.

Fucsovics is what might be known in football parlance as “a big unit”. Standing 6ft 2ins, he weighs 181lbs – and every ounce of it is muscle. He looks not so much ripped as quarried. Although when someone pointed this out to him the other day, he looked slightly hurt.

FUCSOVICS: QUARRIED PHYSIQUE
“I wasn't born like this,” he said (a fact that, when it became apparent 29 years ago, must have come a huge relief to his mother). “I was working every day to get this physiques.”

Not that muscle power makes much difference against Djokovic. The No.1 is the master of turning defence into attack, of soaking up pace and using it to his advantage and of taking any serve and dismantling it as easily as if he were dismantling one of his son’s Lego toys.

As for physiques – Djokovic’s is remarkable. He is 11lbs lighter than the Hungarian and about 100 times more flexible. Then again, he is about 100 times more flexible than a rubber band. To watch Djokovic warm up on the practice courts is to see a contortionist in full flow; the things he can do with his body makes the eyes water (although the ability to scratch his right ear with one of his left toes may be of limited use to him in later life).

MUSCLEMAN, AND MAGICIAN
This flexibility proved invaluable in the first set as he took a couple of tumbles. For the first 20 minutes, they were the only messy moments as the defending champion skipped to a 5-0 lead. At the other end of the court, Fucsovics looked tentative and tight – at this rate, he was on his way to an absolute sploshing.

And then Fucsovics held serve. After 24 minutes, he was finally on the scoreboard and the crowd was cheering. Suddenly the backhand looked crisper, the forehand had more bite; Hungary’s finest was beginning to relax and enjoy himself.

He was having an absolute blast when Djokovic then played the sloppiest service game he has produced in many a match in SW19. It was now 5-2. Then 5-3: Fucsovics was making a match of it. He couldn’t turn the set around but it did take Djokovic six set points and 42 minutes to win it. Now it was game on.

MATCH STATISTICS
ND MF
4 ACES 5
3 DOUBLE FAULTS 5
61/93 (66%) 1ST SERVE IN 65/101 (64%)
4/14 (29%) BREAK POINTS WON 1/6 (17%)
23 WINNERS 24
30 UNFORCED ERRORS 31
108 TOTAL POINTS WON 86
As we got to the meat of the second set (plant-based alternatives are available), Fucsovics was serving first and keeping his nose in front. Now he was showing off his grass court credentials – he won the junior title here 11 years ago – and Djokovic was having to work. Yet Djokovic’s grass court credentials, he with his five Wimbledon titles, are vastly superior to those of anyone else on tour (Roger Federer aside, obviously) and so it was only a matter of time before he proved the point.

A couple of forehand errors cost Fucsovics dear as the defending champion broke serve and then, after 90 minutes of effort, Djokovic took the second set and roared at his support team. His exceedingly flexible toes were touching the doorstep of the semi-finals.

After a couple of games to shake the disappointment of that set from his mind, Fucsovics rolled up his sleeves and got back to work in the third; he was not ready to give up the fight. Alas, by then he was already a break down – the damage had been done in the opening game. And this time it was terminal.

https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/ar ... inals.html

[Barty]

History man making his own path

Spoiler:

Novak Djokovic takes umbrage at suggestion he's been 'the bad guy, chasing'

A little over two hours of graft on court, another match won without dropping a set. Novak Djokovic was through to his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and an appointment with Denis Shapovalov on Friday. Surely, nothing could spoil his day or take the smile from his face.

Clearly, he had not accounted for the dreaded Zoom press conference. In this virtual world of question and answer, the ebb and flow of the live presser is lost and the first question can often set the tone.

So it was that a voice was heard coming through the ether as the defending champion settled into his chair: “What has it been like to be something of the 'bad guy' chasing after Roger and Rafa all these years?”

A deathly hush. And then: “I don't consider myself a bad guy,” Djokovic said, tartly. “I mean, that's your opinion.”

DJOKOVIC: NOT THE 'BAD GUY'
Had we all been in the same room, there would have been a collective clearing of throats and shuffling of feet. We were not off to a good start.

“I'm not chasing anybody,” Djokovic went on, clearly unamused. “I'm making my own path and my own journey, my own history. I'm privileged to be part of history of this sport that I love.

"As I said on the court, I know about a lot of stats. I don't know about all of them. But they do motivate me even more to play my best tennis at the events that count the most in our sport.”

You could see his point: Djokovic is not some young upstart scampering after the two, older men. He is not trying to be mentioned in the same breath as Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. They have 20 Grand Slam titles apiece; he has 19. He is the odds-on favourite to win here and then to go on and overtake them in the coming months. His history will soon be the history of his beloved sport.

“I'M NOT CHASING ANYBODY. I'M MAKING MY OWN PATH AND MY OWN JOURNEY, MY OWN HISTORY. I'M PRIVILEGED TO BE PART OF HISTORY OF THIS SPORT THAT I LOVE
But once that message had been received and understood, we all moved on and tried not to annoy the world No.1 any further. And most of us were just glad it wasn’t us who had dropped such a clanger in the opening question.

Djokovic appeared to be running away with the first set against Marton Fucsovics until the Hungarian shook off his nerves and started hitting the ball with more authority. A few long rallies released his tension and then he was ready to make a fight of it.

On the other side of the net, the world No.1 was struggling to find his timing in the brisk breeze and was wobbling ever so slightly. It was nothing to worry about but it was not as clean a set of tennis as he might have liked.

“It was kind of up and down. I thought I played extremely well the first five, six games,” Djokovic said. “Had a couple set points, 5-0, 5-1 also couple set points. And then some long games.

“Overall, I feel like I've been playing, hitting the ball well throughout the entire tournament, putting myself exactly where I want to be: semi-finals. Not spending too much energy. Now I really have to be consistent from the first to last point in next match, and hopefully another one on Sunday.”

That next outing against Shapovalov appears, on paper, to be Djokovic’s for the taking: in six meetings, Shapovalov has won just two sets. But the Canadian is playing the tennis of his life in SW19 this summer and the champion knows to be on his guard.

CONGRATULATIONS
“He has really an all-around game,” Djokovic said. “Huge serve, lefty, which is always tricky to play someone who is left-handed on the quick surfaces. He's comfortable coming in to net. I think his movement has improved. Due to better movement, he's probably making less errors, which was probably the part of his game that was always troubling him.

“It's impressive the way he's been playing. Probably the ball gets to him on grass, it doesn't bounce as much, so he can swing through the ball. I think backhand was also working really well what I saw today in some important moments.

“I'm sure that that's going to be the biggest test I will have so far in the tournament, which is also expected. It's semi-finals. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a battle and I need to be at my best.”

He is on course to rewrite the history books in the coming days by winning his sixth Wimbledon title. Federer and Nadal know that their shared record could be broken by the Serb and they acknowledge that. He really isn’t the bad guy. But Djokovic still wasn’t smiling.

https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/ar ... _path.html

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Wimby21: 7 finał na Wimbledonie (30 w Wielkim Szlemie!).

[1] Novak Djokovic d. [15] Denis Shapovalov 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5

Finały Wimbledonu:


Finały w Wielkim Szlemie:

[Damian]

Djokovic Beats Shapovalov, On Verge Of Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 will play Berrettini in the Wimbledon final
Novak Djokovic reached his seventh Wimbledon final on Friday and moved within one victory of claiming a record-tying 20th Grand Slam title.

The World No. 1 defeated 10th seed Denis Shapovalov 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 to set a championship showdown against seventh seed Matteo Berrettini, who eliminated 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz earlier in the day. Djokovic rallied from a break down in the first set and withstood a baseline barrage from Shapovalov to triumph after two hours and 44 minutes.

“I don’t think that the scoreline says enough about the performance and about the match. He was serving for the first set and he was probably the better player for most of the second set,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “He had many chances and I would like to give him a big round of applause for everything that he has done today and these two weeks.”

The Serbian superstar has not lost a set since his first set of the tournament against home favourite Jack Draper. He joins Roger Federer as the only two men to reach 30 Grand Slam finals (Federer has made 31). A win on Sunday will give the top seed his third major trophy of the season and move him to within a US Open crown of completing the Calendar-Year Grad Slam.

Most Grand Slam Finals (all-time)

Player Slam Finals
1. Roger Federer 31
2. Novak Djokovic 30
3. Rafael Nadal 28
4. Ivan Lendl 19
5. Pete Sampras 18
For much of his clash against Shapovalov — a first-time major semi-finalist — the action was not on Djokovic's racquet. But the 34-year-old was outstanding under pressure, saving 10 of the 11 break points he faced, and that was the difference.

“There is no holding back once you step out on the court, particularly in the later stages of an event that I always dreamt of winning. The dream keeps going,” Djokovic said. “I am trying to take out the maximum of my own abilities every single match and see what happens. Giving up is never an option.”

The 19-time Grand Slam champion has now won six consecutive semi-finals at the All England Club, and is now 30-11 in major semi-finals overall, including 16 of his past 17.

Break Points Saved - Djokovic vs. Shapovalov

Player Break Points Saved
Novak Djokovic 10/11
Denis Shapovalov 7/10
Shapovalov did not make it easy for the five-time Wimbledon winner, though. The dynamic lefty came out firing, going after his forehand and backhand without hesitation. The 10th seed broke Djokovic in his second return game of the match behind a baseline onslaught, and he got into an impressive serving rhythm to move into closing position in the opener.

But when the Canadian served for the first set at 5-4, he began to show cracks in his game. At 30/30, Shapovalov missed an easy forehand from the service line into a wide-open court. Although that miss did not immediately allow Djokovic back on serve, he missed a backhand long three points later to relinquish his advantage.


Watch Djokovic v Shapovalov highlights. Note: Playback not available in all regions. Video courtesy Wimbledon. Watch more video at Wimbledon.com

In the ensuing tie-break, Djokovic shook his head in disappointment after a poor drop shot. But Shapovalov hit one on the next point that did not reach the net, and he was never able to fully recover. The top seed dared the lefty to beat him with aggressive play, and the 22-year-old was unable to do so, hitting a double fault to end the set.

The Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus did well to shake that off in the second set, in which he continued going after his shots to put Djokovic under pressure. But the Serbian bent and never broke, escaping a 0/40 deficit at 1-2. And in crunch time at the end of the set, Djokovic played sensational defence to force Shapovalov to go for even more, and the World No. 12 double-faulted well long to give away the break.


After closing out the second set, Djokovic was unable to immediately storm through the final set. But at 5-5, it was once again the Canadian who slipped. The 10th seed missed a forehand long on break point, eliciting a primal roar from Djokovic, who served out the match to love in the next game with his seventh ace.

Djokovic will play another powerful foe on Sunday. He leads Berrettini 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series — the Serbian lost just three games against him at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals and needed four sets to beat the Italian in this year’s Roland Garros quarter-finals.

Berrettini, however, is playing the best tennis of his career, and is now 11-0 this season on grass. Djokovic owns a 20-match tour-level winning streak on grass.

Did You Know?
This is the first time Djokovic has advanced to the Wimbledon final with the loss of just one set. The Serbian lost two sets en route to the championship match at the All England Club in 2013, 2015 and 2019.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... on-2021-sf

[Starigniter]

Mogliby się w sumie zdecydować czy piszą "major" czy "grand slam", bo to trochę śmieszne.

[Damian]

Mogliby się w sumie zdecydować czy piszą "major" czy "grand slam", bo to trochę śmieszne.

"Major" to bardziej taka amerykańska wersja słowa Wielki Szlem, "Grand Slam" - typowo angielska.

[Damian]

Djokovic On Potentially Tying Grand Slam Record: ‘It Would Mean Everything’

Spoiler:

The World No. 1 will face Berrettini for the Wimbledon trophy
History awaits Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, when he will try to tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles. And the World No. 1 left no doubt Friday evening following his semi-final victory that he is excited for the opportunity.

“It would mean everything. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm playing. I imagined myself being in a position to fight for another Grand Slam trophy prior to coming to London. I put myself in a very good position,” said Djokovic, who will play Matteo Berrettini for the trophy. “Anything is possible in the final. Obviously experience is on my side. But Berrettini has been winning a lot of matches on grass courts this year, winning Queen's.

“He's in great form. He's serving big, playing big. So it's going to be a very tough match I think for both of us, but I'm looking forward to a great battle.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>

The Serbian superstar had to claw through a tough battle against Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals. Djokovic emerged victorious in straight sets, but each set was a nail-biter against the free-swinging Canadian.

The top seed saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced, which proved critical. The difference in the match was Djokovic’s performance under pressure.

“I don't think you're born with it. I think it comes with time, with experience, with mental and physical work obviously,” Djokovic said of his mental fortitude in key moments. “The more matches you play and the more times you're in these similar situations, the more confident or more comfortable you feel every next time you get to face these particular circumstances where you're a break point down or playing in [the] final stages [of a] Grand Slam against [your] top rivals.

“I think that experience definitely favours me every single time. Next time I get to walk on the court, know that I've been through everything that I could possibly go through as a tennis player. I know my strengths. I know what I'm capable of. I rely on that.”

You May Also Like: Djokovic Beats Shapovalov, On Verge Of Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam
The 34-year-old has long discussed his love affair with Wimbledon and how as a child he dreamt of competing in and winning the tournament. Now he has another opportunity to play on Centre Court with history on the line. Whether or not he has the crowd’s support, he will be focused on the task at hand.

“Every player hopes in big matches, coming into big stadiums, that he's going to have a majority of the crowd behind him. Having the crowd behind you, against you, it's a big difference,” Djokovic said. “Berrettini, [this being] his first time in a Grand Slam final, he's kind of an underdog there. People also like to see someone win who is an underdog or is not maybe expected to win, is not the favourite to win.

“But hopefully people can also recognise the importance of this match for me, the history that is on the line. I'm prepared for anything really that is going to happen in terms of the crowd support on Sunday. I've had many different experiences throughout my career. I just need to focus on myself and what I need to do.”

Djokovic knows that Berrettini brings plenty of firepower to the court, and that the Italian will be hungry for his first major triumph. But with everything at stake, the Serbian will be ready.

“It's [the] final. It's really anybody's game,” Djokovic said. “He's arguably the guy who has been in the best form on grass courts this year, winning Queen's. He's red hot. It's going to be a great battle.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovi ... f-reaction

[Starigniter]

Mogliby się w sumie zdecydować czy piszą "major" czy "grand slam", bo to trochę śmieszne.

"Major" to bardziej taka amerykańska wersja słowa Wielki Szlem, "Grand Slam" - typowo angielska.

ATP to amerykańska strona, ale używają tych pojęć na zmianę jak synonimów, to jest trochę dziwne

Raz jest: 4 majors → grand slam, innym razem: 4 grand slams → calendar year grand slam

[Starigniter]

8 meczów od absolutnego GOAT-a statystyk.

[Barty]

Djokovic consoles Shapovalov and turns his sights to Sunday

Spoiler:

Champion offers words of wisdom to defeated Denis Shapovalov following their semi-final. He now faces Matteo Berrettini in the final

The first thing Novak Djokovic did when he left Centre Court after defeating Denis Shapovalov was seek out the 22-year-old Canadian in the locker room to offer words of consolation. Shapovalov, who left the court in tears after his efforts, appreciated the gesture.

“It meant a lot to me,” said the No.10 seed, who had never reached the last four of a Grand Slam before. “He really didn't have to. He just told me he knows how difficult it is for me right now, and that everything will come. For me, that’s big coming from someone like him. It just shows the type of person he is. I have tremendous respect for him. I don’t think he’s praised enough. He’s an incredible guy.”

Djokovic himself was full of praise for Shapovalov.

“He was the better player for the first couple sets,” said the Serb. “In important moments I probably held my nerve better than he did. It's tough to play Denis, particularly on grass and quicker surfaces with the lefty serve that he's got. He can hit any spot. When he's on, when he's feeling that serve, it's a weapon on any surface against anyone.

“He has matured as a player. He's always been very aggressive, trying to make winners, come to the net, dictate the play from the back of the court. But now he's a bit more patient in his game. He's understanding how to construct the point.”

After that, the world No.1 began to focus on his last and greatest task at Wimbledon 2021 – facing Queen’s champion Matteo Berrettini in the final. It will be Djokovic’s 30th Grand Slam final, and Berrettini’s first. The Serb’s own maiden experience at that level was a tough one. As runner-up to Roger Federer at the US Open in 2007, he had five set points in the first set and two in the second, but was defeated in straight sets by the top seed.

“I remember that I was just so thrilled to be in the final,” remembered Djokovic. “I had a good match but I just probably did not believe enough in the victory at certain moments when the scoreline was close.

“I was really young, 20 years old. Matteo is a bit older [25]. He's had more experience playing on the Tour. He's already had notable results in the biggest tournaments and some big wins against the top players of the world. I expect him to be on really high level because that's what he's been delivering in last couple weeks. He’s in great form, serving big and playing big.

DJOKOVIC: LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FINAL
“To win a 20th Grand Slam would mean everything. That's why I'm here, and why I'm playing. I imagined myself being in a position to fight for another Grand Slam trophy prior to coming to London. I’ve put myself in a very good position and I’m looking forward to a great battle.”

But he is aware that the Centre Court crowd may cheer on Berrettini, as the underdog.

“I hope that I will have the stadium on my side. Having the crowd behind you, against you, it's a big difference. People like to see someone win who is an underdog or is not maybe expected to win, is not the favourite. But hopefully people can also recognise also the importance of this match for me, the history that is on the line.”

The last word goes to Shapovalov. Would he be happy to have Djokovic as a mentor some time in the future?

“Yes, I’d be very happy,” said the Canadian with a bitter-sweet smile. “It would mean he had stopped playing.”

https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/ar ... unday.html

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Starigniter]

III Mały Szlem Novaka (2011, 2015).

[Damian]