- The seven-time champion won the tie 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 in a little under three hours
- Serb had undergone surgery on his knee 25 days prior but will now contest final
- Alcaraz awaits after the Spaniard earlier defeated Daniil Medvedev in four sets
Novak Djokovic felt the love and then he touched the clouds with his tennis. Not even the provocateurs of Centre Court would have dared boo him with any real conviction on Friday, such was the quality of the match that took this pantomime villain to his 10th Wimbledon final.
There he will meet Carlos Alcaraz for a repeat of last year’s five-set epic and an encounter that will have us talking again about torches passed or enduring flames. But those discussions about Djokovic’s prospects of revenge can wait a while.
For now it is worth reflecting on a semi-final which, in a one-dimensional view of its numbers, will read like a straight-set beating of the 25th seed by a seven-time champion. What a horrific disservice that would do to Lorenzo Musetti.
There were points in this match where it resembled Djokovic against Djokovic, wall against wall, one master of retrieval finding no way to pass a retriever 15 years his junior. It was compelling and brilliant and every bit as close as the five-setters they have twice contested at the French Open, the most recent of which extended until 3am last month.
On each of those occasions on clay, Djokovic prevailed, and the ageless 37-year-old did so again here, winning 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 in a little under three hours, but the beauty was in the detail of some marathon points.
It was found in the single-handed backhand of wonder that Musetti shaped into a winner to break at the start of the second set. In the drop shots that repeatedly stopped dead and out of Djokovic’s reach. In the savagery of the younger guy’s forehand winners.
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With those shots, the Italian, 22, pumped life into a second week that has felt rather flat at times. So it is worth dwelling on how good Djokovic had to be to beat him and, from there, we should note that he underwent surgery on his right knee just 25 days earlier. Keeping all that in mind, there should be no doubt the Djokovic who faces Alcaraz on Sunday is up to speed.
It would also seem that he is in a somewhat better mood, certainly compared to the combative figure who got so worked up about the crowd after his win in the last-16 against Holger Rune. Were they booing? Were they merely elongating his opponent’s name? Or was it case of Djokovic ramping up a grudge to trick himself into hitting a higher gear?
Who knows with this guy, but against Musetti, he was warmly received by those watching. Not as warmly as the challenger, though there was no aggression in the way Djokovic greeted his win by taking his racket and repurposing it as a mock violin. Not this time.
Upon reaching the final, which remarkably will the 37th such match he has fought in Slams, Djokovic said: ‘This tournament is a childhood dream for me. To play it, to win it. As a seven-year-old boy in Serbia watching the bombs overhead I was dreaming of being here on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. I never take this for granted.
‘I am very satisfied to be in another final but hopefully I get my hands on that trophy again on Sunday.
‘If I didn’t think I had a chance to go deep in the tournament, I probably wouldn’t be playing (so soon after surgery). I am just very pleased to arrive where I am.’
As for the challenge awaiting him in his revenge mission against Alcaraz, Djokovic said: ‘He is a great example of a young player with a well-balanced life, great people around him, carries himself well on and off the court.
‘He is one of the greatest 21-year-olds we have seen in this sport. He is going to win many more slams but hopefully not this one in two years. Maybe in 15 years when I retire.
‘Jokes aside, he beat me here last year, so I don’t expect anything less than a huge battle. He is as complete as they come. It will take my best to beat him.’
He looked close to that level here. It took almost 25 minutes to complete five games, given how close it was, before Djokovic broke to go 4-2 ahead. That might have been the cue to pull away but after Musetti contrived to break back after facing two set points at 5-3. With a chance to level, the Italian then delivered his worse service game of the match to go down 6-3 – a rough return for a set in which he hit only eight unforced errors.
The level of the second was even higher. Musetti broke immediately, capitalising in a brief dip from Djokovic that lasted all of 10 minutes. Where the Serbian had excelled in the first, with 15 points won from 15 trips to the net, was suddenly a minor vulnerability as his opponent started blitzing winners off the forehand.
It seemed likely he would level, but Djokovic broke back to love for 3-3 and then dominated the tiebreak 7-2. The quality through that set was exceptional, but it also took some of the wind from the Italian, who broke at the start of the third with a backhand pass up the line. Djokovic would go on to earn and lose three match points on Musetti’s serve at 5-3 but concluded the match in the next game.