Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic overtakes Roger Federer, enters record 32nd Grand Slam singles final | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: Novak Djokovic was broken thrice in the opening set of his Wimbledon semifinal against Briton Cameron Norrie — a string of firecrackers that sent the Centre Court crowd into raptures, busting vocal cords and raising hopes as the afternoon drifted into the evening at SW19.
While the semifinal certainly had its moments for Norrie — born in Johannesburg, South Africa, grew up in New Zealand and played college tennis in the United States, before choosing to represent Britain in 2013 — the match belonged to the top seed, who came through 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to make his eighth Wimbledon final and a record 32nd Grand Slam final, where he’ll play Aussie Nick Kyrgios on Sunday.

Djokovic, 35, gunning for his seventh Wimbledon crown, lit a colored sparkler in the fourth game of the first set –– a tweener lob, struck from a ridiculously displaced position that forced the crowd to respond.
The Serb broke in the eighth game of the second set and immediately signalled intent. He then served out the set after falling back 0-30 in the ninth game, opening with a double fault and then sending a drop shot into the net.

Norrie — left-handed with an exaggerated backswing on his forehand side, his backhand, with two hands on the stick, is more like a jab, a flat shot with the ability to punish — dropped serve in the opening game of the third set, which set the ball rolling for the Serb.

A section of the crowd, close to the baseline, perhaps desperate for some purchase for their man, threw themselves into the contest, heckling the top seed.

Djokovic, who sent glares and stares in that direction, finally blew them kisses.
“I didn’t start off well, he was the better player in the first set,” Djokovic said.
“I have played many semifinals in Grand Slams, but it’s never easy walking out on court, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations, even those from yourself. I was not swinging through the ball at the start of the match, Cameron was dominating the match. In the second set, he missed a couple and gifted me the set.”