This deficit was less discouraging for Novak Djokovic. The tension is less palpable. It’s not that you want to be left behind in matches, of course. It’s that when he does, he knows how to deal with it.
“It’s amazing how the whole game can break, really, just because you feel like you’re tense. Then there’s no prey that works properly. Your feet are static and slow,” Djokovic said. “Something happens in a game, and suddenly it’s completely different and you’re flying. Everything flows “.
First seed Djokovic secured a second straight Wimbledon comeback victory on Friday, beating Britain’s No. 9 seed Cam Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals to follow his streak of victories at the All England Club in 27 games in a row as he chases a fourth consecutive championship on his turf tracks.
“The more you experience these kinds of situations, the better you’ll feel, but the more prepared you are. You know what to expect,” Djokovic said. “It’s always about managing your own nerves better than maybe your opponent is his. This internal battle is always the biggest.”
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates the match point against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie during the men’s singles semi-final match on the twelfth day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 8, 2022 in London, England . (Photo by Shaun Botterill / Getty Images) (Getty)
On Sunday he will face first main finalist Nick Kyrgios for the trophy.
“The work,” Djokovic said, “is not over.”
Non-series leader Kyrgios, a 27-year-old fuel-fueled Australian who was mocked by the mere mention of his name during the interview on Djokovic’s court, did not need to play on Friday because the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal retired with a break. abdominal muscle.
“Delicious,” is how Kyrgios described the next match.
He has won the previous two clashes against Djokovic, although both were on tough tracks five years ago.
“One thing is for sure,” Djokovic said. “There will be a lot of fireworks, emotionally, from both of them.”
It will be the 32nd match for the Grand Slam title for Djokovic, breaking the tie for the men’s record he shared with Roger Federer, and gives the 35-year-old Serb the chance to win his 21st major title and seventh at Wimbledon. Only Federer, with eight, has more in the men’s turf tournament.
On the hottest afternoon of the fortnight, with the temperature at 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) and the still air, Djokovic often seemed upset early on, gesturing toward his guest box. But unlike the quarterfinals, when he lost the first two sets to Jannik Sinner before winning by five, Djokovic was quick to assert his dominance.
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It’s hard to know exactly what allows Djokovic to go on and then win: he has seven comebacks in his career from a two-set hole, including the final of the 202 French Open. He claimed that a conversation in the bathroom helped against Sinner. He joked that putting on a white hat after the first set made all the difference against Norrie.
When asked at Friday’s press conference to explain the white bottle he seemed to inhale during another match, Djokovic offered this ironic answer: “Magic potion.”
“You’ll know soon,” he added, “but now I can’t talk about it.”
Djokovic vs. Norrie started under enough auspices as the locals hoped to see one of them reach a men’s final, something only two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has achieved in the UK since the professional era began in 1968.
The roars came when left-handed Norrie first got up from her seat; Djokovic was pouring some water into his hand and rubbing it into his hair. When the winner of the Norrie volley completed a break in that opening game, he jumped and threw an uppercut. Union Jack flags waved in the stands.
Did you win the championship? No. A place in the final won? That too. All in all, it was quite a celebration after one of what would become 35 games, five of 202 points, four of 154 minutes.
When Djokovic broke his back, he walked over to grab his white towel and rubbed his sweat. For him, this was not a monumental success.
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Just a small example of how versatile and excellent Djokovic came to be at a particularly wonderful point. He hit a moving half volley, but Norrie responded with a lob. So Djokovic ran back to the bottom line, the net behind him, and evoked a high arched lobe between his legs, facing the wrong path, which somehow landed. Norrie ran towards it, twisted his body responded with a right-footed shot and Djokovic finished the exchange 14 times with a volley drop winner.
Even supporters of the hand applauded with approval. Djokovic raised his right index finger to the sky.
Still, only two of Norrie’s first 20 points came through the winners she produced. Djokovic made 12 unforced errors in the first set alone. A measure of how he restored order: Djokovic made 16 unforced errors in the last three combined sets.
Norrie, who had never before passed the third round in a major, grew less strong as Djokovic increased the pressure, within points and on the scoreboard. A particularly sloppy serve game from Norrie, with a trio of unforced errors, helped Djokovic break to advance 5-3 in the second set.
“It gave me a little bit of that,” said Djokovic, who would take 11 of 13 games in a game-changing stretch.
He broke three times in the first set, and never faced a breaking point the rest of the way.
Perhaps feeling that her husband might use an impulse, some fans offered chants of “Come on, Norrie, come on!” at the beginning of the third set. Nothing changed.
Djokovic broke to open the third. He did the same in the fourth.
“I just closed it,” Norrie said.
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