July 09, (THEWILL) – All is now set for world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic to reach a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam trophy and defend his Wimbledon title as he brushed aside semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov to reach his 30th Grand Slam final in a tight straight sets victory 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5.
A 20th Slam will see him draw level with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, three of the best players in the world. For that to happen, the top seed will have to overcome Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s showpiece after the seventh seed defeated Hubert Hurkacz on Friday.
As the results show, all three sets were closely-fought. Shapovalov was ready to play and threw absolutely everything he could at Djokovic but the Serb was simply too strong and held the competitive edge all the way to the end.
What the results do not show by the scoreline is how harsh the outcome was on the talented Canadian. The left-handed player left Centre Court in tears after seeing his dream run at Wimbledon ended in ruthless fashion despite the punchy performance that he resolutely put up.
The match was over in two hours and 44 minutes and clearly demonstrates just how tough all three sets were for the 34-year-old highest ranked player. But ultimately he was just too ruthless and clinical when it really mattered and that was what made the difference.
Djokovic was in the same dominant form that he maintained throughout the clay season and carried into the grass courts of Wimbledon as he only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match to secure his place in the final with his 20th victory in Grand Slam encounters this year alone.
The double Grand Slam tally champion certainly appears set to make it three Grand Slams out of three this year. Only the unobservant will bet against Djokovic going all the way on Sunday against Berrettini especially on his current form.
Berrettini is in his first All England Club final and is the first Italian to reach the men’s singles final at Wimbledon. But, he is going to be facing the most competitive player he has ever faced as Djokovic will be aiming to clinch his sixth title and retain his crown from 2019 when he defeated Federer in a famous final to prevent the Swiss from a ninth title.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
