Novak Djokovic

Cameron Norrie had two long days to think about exactly what he could do to get under Novak Djokovic's skin in the biggest match of his life, ...

The next step in his career is to ensure that he is here again and again. The immense pressure only continued as the fourth set began and Djokovic broke again in the opening game. As he gradually fell into a rhythm on his groundstrokes, locking down on unforced errors, he began to dictate and as he put Norrie under pressure in his own service games, the contest reached a potential turning point. But charged with taking greater risks than usual and playing far out of his own comfort zone, the British player’s errors piled up and the gap between the 20-time grand slam champion and debut semi-finalist was vast. Djokovic generated the first break points of the second set in a long game at 3-2 which he failed to take. On the biggest stage at Wimbledon, against one of the superstars of the sport, he stood with an opportunity to show his abilities.

Djokovic beat Cameron Norrie of Britain in the only semifinal played Friday, after Kyrgios advanced on Rafael Nadal's withdrawal with an injury.

In the eighth game of the set, Norrie sent a forehand long to give Djokovic a 5-3 lead. Djokovic put a baseball cap on to protect himself from the heat of the sun, and midway through he stopped giving free points to Norrie. Suddenly Norrie found himself fighting off break points every time he served. But Djokovic is masterful at taking an opponent’s best — and the chiding of a crowd — and biding his time for an opening to appear.

Novak Djokovic in action against Cameron Norrie on Friday at Wimbledon. © Shaun Botterill/Getty Images. ATP Staff Jul 08, 2022. Serbian plays Kyrgios in the ...

The Serbian then gained a decisive break at the start of the fourth set, before he zoned in on serve to seal victory. At 4-3, he missed a couple of put-aways and gifted me that game and I felt from that game momentum shifted a little bit.” I was a bit tight at the start of the match, not swinging through the ball as smoothly as I would have liked to and Cameron was dominating the play,” Djokovic added. He is playing so freely, one of the biggest serves in the game. He is very excited and he doesn’t have much to lose and he is always playing like that. He is a great player and I have a lot of respect for him.”

The controversial Australian is most likely to play the favourite to win Wimbledon in Sunday's final - if Djokovic negotiates his way past British hope Cameron ...

This is a great version of Djokovic but it's not the best, meaning if he is Kyrgios' opponent in the final, the Australian can win if he performs near his peak. But the Serbian has managed to get the job done when he hasn't been playing well and there has been periods of his best tennis, namely against Thanasi Kokkinakis (round two), Miomir Kecmanovic (round three) and the final three sets of the five-set win against Sinner. Against Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round, it was clear Kyrgios wasn't performing at peak level, but he once again rose to the challenge despite appearing flat throughout much of the contest. Kyrgios lost the first set against world no.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round - who had won ATP Mallorca on grass prior to Wimbledon - but the Aussie bounced back despite several controversies to win in four sets. In the first round, he was flat against British wildcard Paul Jubb, but when he needed to lift in the deciding set, Kyrgios stood up when it mattered. This is no disrespect to Norrie, who is world no.12 and has had a fine Wimbledon so far, but the Brit is coming off a gruelling five-setter against David Goffin in the quarters and has never beaten a 'big four' (Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) player before - holding an 0-9 record.

What is the head-to-head record between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios, who will play each other in the Wimbledon final on Sunday?

What time is the Wimbledon women’s singles final? What time is the Wimbledon men’s singles final? Kyrgios has won their prior meetings (both in 2017) without dropping a set and without dropping serve.

Novak Djokovic says he is “aware of what's on the line” as the prospect of earning his 21st grand slam title comes onto the horizon at Wimbledon.

“Every player that goes out on the court needs to adjust and adapt and accept circumstances and find solutions in order to win a tennis match” he said. “I think it was obviously a good experience to play him. I mean, every match, every grand slam that I get to play at this stage of my career, there is a lot on the line. “In the practice sessions where you don’t have the crowds or expectations, you play great. I can’t, and I don’t want to speak about all the details and routines that I have that make me feel well-balanced and prepared. “I don’t know how many grand slam opportunities to win the trophy I will still have, as I will have in a few days’ time,” the 35-year-old said.

The world number 1 says he is pleased he is taking on the divisive Australian in the Wimbledon final, saying Kyrgios's antics distract people from the fact ...

He plays lights out every time he steps out onto the court." So while he will be favourite to claim a seventh Wimbledon crown, he knows exactly how dangerous the unpredictable world number 40 Kyrgios can be. "Then we know what was happening throughout many years with him mentally, emotionally.

The Wimbledon finalist's response to his semi-final triumph has divided tennis fans. More here.

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address