Friday, 4 July 2014
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| Novak Djokovic returns to Grigor Dimitrov |
Novak Djokovic, who had to work harder than the other three semi-finalists to reach the closing weekend of Wimbledon, went into the trenches again on Friday against the flickering genius of Grigor Dimitrov but he is through to his third final.
The Serb will need to find more consistency to replicate his championship form of 2011, after taking just over three hours to beat the 23-year-old Bulgarian 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (9-7).
For the first couple of hours, their semi-final was not one of the great encounters; once it got to the business end, however, it morphed into a tense, close and occasionally rousing contest.
“I was playing against a future star,” Djokovic said. “He’s already a top player, winning against [Andy] Murray in the quarters, he deserves respect.
“It was a tough match. Like last match against Cilic I allowed my opponent to come back into it. He has quality shots, great touch. His transition game has improved immensely the past eight months.
“But, overall, I’m happy to be in the final. I have lost the last couple of grand slam finals, and could have won. It’s a big challenge, the biggest event in our sport.”
Dimitrov, so impressive in beating Murray in three sets on Wednesday, looked less certain against the world No2 and tournament favourite and was not helped by his inability to stay upright on a surface that looked dusty and slippery towards the end of the championship fortnight.
source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/04/novak-djokovic-wimbledon-final-grigor-dimitrov
