The top seed Novak Djokovic is through to his eighth Wimbledon final following a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over the Briton Cameron Norrie in the semis. The six-time Wimbledon champion will compete in his first Major final since the last year’s US Open and seek the 21st Major crown against the first-time Major finalist Nick Kyrgios on Sunday. Novak advanced into the 32nd Major final and topped the charts, leaving Roger Federer on 31 and Rafael Nadal on 30. Djokovic made a slow start, although it was not as bad as against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-final. The Serb restored his strokes in set number two and sailed past the home favorite to move closer to the title. Djokovic lost serve three times in the first set and barely dropped a point behind the initial shot in the next three sets. Norrie could not follow that pace, suffering five breaks from 14 chances offered to Djokovic and ending his dream run in the semis. Both players struggled to find the first serve, and Djokovic needed it more than Norrie.
Novak Djokovic will play in his eighth Wimbledon final.
The Briton tamed his strokes nicely and kept his backhand composed to overpower the favorite and make a perfect start. They traded breaks in the opening two games before easily holding 2-2. Cameron continued in the same style behind the initial shot, and Novak could not follow that pace. The Serb got broken in the fifth game and lost serve again to fall 5-2 behind. Norrie served at 30 in game eight to wrap up the opener 6-2 and gain a massive boost. The more experienced player left the first set behind him and made a fresh start in the second. He served at 78% and lost only three points in five service games. The Serb landed ten winners and five unforced errors, and the Briton lost the momentum he had in the first part of the encounter. Norrie survived break chances in games four and six to remain on the positive side, but his strokes were not good enough to trouble Djokovic until the tie break. Novak produced one good hold after another and grabbed the desired break in game eight before closing the set on his serve in the next one.
The defending champion served on a high level in set number three and gave away three points in four service games. Cameron could not make the set more interesting after losing serve in the opening game. Taming the rival’s initial shot easily, Djokovic broke again in game five and delivered two commanding holds in games six and eight to wrap up the set 6-2 and move closer to the finish line. The Serb grabbed an early break in set number four and continued with his masterclass behind the initial shot. Norrie survived multiple break chances in game five to remain within one break deficit before Djokovic claimed games six and eight in no time for 5-3. Cameron served to stay in the match in game nine and held at 15 with a service winner to prolong the encounter. Novak led 5-4 and served for the title in game ten. He produced another fine hold to seal the deal and advance into the eighth Wimbledon final since 2011.