Wimbledon 2018: Novak Djokovic renews his rivalry with Rafael Nadal after defeating Kei Nishikori

Novak Djokovic has endured a lot of pain and disappointment over the last two years, but the former world number one has secured a spot in the semifinals of Wimbledon for the eighth time in his Wednesday's career defeating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

On Friday, the 31-year-old Serb will renew his rivalry with Rafael Nadal, who won a titanic fight against Juan Martin del Potro who lasted four hours and 47 minutes. . Nadal, who was playing his first quarter-final here for seven years, won 7-5, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to stay the course and win the title for the third time.

Djokovic, three-time Wimbledon champion, played in his last Grand Slam semifinal nearly two years ago at the US Open. The 31-year-old Serb has struggled regularly since he completed his collection of Grand Slam titles by winning the Open de France in 2016 and took off the last six months of last year due to from a persistent elbow problem.

However, having elbow surgery seems to have solved his physical problems and his confidence increases with each victory. Twelve months after retiring in his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych because of the elbow injury, the 12-time Grand Slam champion has highlighted his comeback by defeating Nishikori for the 13th time in a row. In Friday's semi-finals, he will meet the winner of Rafael Nadal's heavyweight showdown with Juan Martin del Potro.

Once again Djokovic won after appearing to be driven by a feeling of unfairness. Against Kyle Edmund on the same Central Court four days ago, he was dissatisfied with the crowd, claiming that the spectators had tried to disturb him by making a noise, but on this occasion, he reserved his anger to Carlos Ramos, the 39; arbitrator. Ramos inflicted a code violation on Djokovic for unsportsmanlike conduct after the Serb pushed his racket into the grbad of frustration – the fact of damaging the court's surface is considered one of the crimes the most heinous in this region. . Djokovic then accused Ramos of "double standards" after claiming that Nishikori had also thrown his racket but remained unpunished.

"I thought it was useless to get the warning," Djokovic said after the match. "I did not hurt the grbad, I know how I threw the racket, he even threw his racket into the fourth set." The chair umpire said that 39; he had not seen it, so I got the warning and he did not do it.I think it's not fair, but that's That's how it is … In the midst of emotions in a difficult match, he arrives. "

Nishikori, who was trying to become the first Japanese player to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon for 85 years, made too many mistakes in the first set, which Djokovic won after making the eighth vital break match. The Serb continued to pace the second set but failed to convert four break points in Nishikori's first two service matches.

His frustration was evident when he threw his racket on the grbad, and his mood still darkened during the next game while Nishikori broke for an advance from 3-1.

After serving for the second run, Nishikori had the opportunity to take control of the third, when Djokovic lost 0-40 to 2-2, but the Grand Slam champion's response 12 times was beautiful. After fighting to keep the service, he then broke up to lead 4-2, after which he hit the air in the celebration and yelled out a roar of "C & # 39; ;my!"

Djokovic's response seemed to hit Nishikori's farce, which suddenly began to make more mistakes. Djokovic again broke to take the third set and then took the best of three service saves in the first four games of the fourth. Even receiving his time fault at 4-2, Djokovic did not come out of his stride.

In the open, only Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Boris Becker can improve Djokovic's ranking of the eight semifinals of Wimbledon. His total of 32 appearances in all the semifinals of the Grand Slam only improved by Federer, who played in 43.

Djokovic will renew a rivalry that saw him beat Nadal in 26 of their 51 matches. The Serb came first in his last meeting here in 2011, when he won the title for the first time beating Nadal in four sets. Four years earlier, Djokovic retired in the third set of their semifinal, which is their only other match at the All England Club.

Nadal, who chose not to play warm-up tournament before arriving here. The efforts he made to win his 11th French Open last month did not lose a set in his first four games but were pushed to the limit by Del Potro in a spectacular tennis quarter-final. .

Having lost the first set, Del Potro He was driving after winning the next two, but Nadal leveled the match after breaking the world number 4 to love in the fifth game of the fourth set.

The match featured spectacular rallies, especially in the fifth set. The surface of the ground becoming slippery because of the evening dew, the two men suffered falls.

At 2-2, Nadal made the final breakthrough, breaking the serve for the fourth time in the game with a setback. Del Potro was beaten fiercely to stay in contention, but the world's No. 1 was not to be denied. At 5-4 and with the clock approaching 9 pm, Del Potro's forehand took Nadal to the point of match, which he converted with a flyer.

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