Djokovic Outlasts Nadal, in a 5 Hours and 15 Minutes Mom

WIMBLEDON, England – One day after losing the longest semifinal in Wimbledon history, John Isner signed a tweet Saturday morning expressing gratitude for the support he had received, and also apologized

"Sorry for missing the time today," he said.

Isner could not predict that his 6-hour, 36-minute loss to Kevin Anderson on Friday would be on the record books. before going home.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, whose semifinal was stopped due to a local curfew at 11 pm. Friday night played 2 hours 22 minutes over Saturday to finish what turned out to be the second longest semifinal in the history of Wimbledon, just behind Isner and Anderson

Survivor at a swing Djokovic won, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8, in 5 hours and 15 minutes.

It's Nadal who saved a match. points to 7-8 in the fifth set, feathering a backhand just over the net in a disarming show of delicacy under duress.

That kept the battle going, but the end came pretty suddenly two games later. Djokovic broke Nadal's love in the 18th match, forcing errors on the Spanish's ground hits with deep and penetrating returns. A setback at the end of the match tilted Nadal off the pitch, and he could not re-insert his right forehand on the court.

For Djokovic, it was a triumphant moment on his continuous path behind assorted struggles.

"Physically, Novak felt really good, and it was a matter of mentally how he could handle it after losing the fourth set," said Marian Vajda, Djokovic's coach. "The fifth set was an incredible titans clash, I would say, because everyone had their game, everyone was riding."

When it was over, Djokovic began to celebrate, turning to his team and smiling to the net. To illustrate how close the match was, both players hit 73 winners and 42 unforced errors.

"Very special, it really could have gone both ways," Djokovic said. "It was very clear that very little was separating the two players, and basically until the last shot I did not know if I was going to win.I thought so, but I know that it was very, very he had a few chances. "

Vajda was delighted to see how much Djokovic responded to his return in a hotly contested match against one of his biggest rivals.

" It's Is refreshed somehow, "said Vajda." These matches, he remembers very well. This memory remains, and his body is used to it. When he plays Rafa, he is so happy to play Rafa because they know each other and play as well. "

Despite a sunny and hot day, the match was played with a closed roof on the central court.It started indoors on Friday night because of the darkness and, for the sake of consistency He remained an indoor match when the game resumed.

Asked if he thought it was logical to keep the roof closed on Saturday, Nadal said no, no regrets after missing his 52nd match against Djokovic, a rivalry that Djokovic now leads, 27 to 25.

"I've hit some really good shots," said Nadal, who was competing in his first semifinal of Wimbledon since 2011. "J & I played aggressive. I missed some balls – not too much, but I missed a few. When you play with that intensity, with that level of risk, that level of passion, sometimes you go, right? "

Djokovic still has a game to play in this tournament, but said that he would still enjoy Saturday's win." It's my trophy, "he said, smiling at Statistics sheet before him at his press conference.

Djokovic won the Wimbledon Trophy three times, the last one in 2015. But his career has taken a tumultuous turn since he reached the final from the United States Open 2016. He suffered from an elbow injury that forced him out of the second half of the 2017 season to return in January and decide that he had need surgery.

Djokovic also experienced upheavals within his support team.Coach coach, start and stop with Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek, then return to Vajda

ranked 21st entering the tournament, Djokovic was ranked 12th here because of Wi's selection committee formula mbledon that weighs success in tournaments. He is the lowest ranked Wimbledon finalist since Mark Philippoussis, 47th, was a finalist in 2003.

Against the eighth Anderson, Djokovic will be in contention for his 13th Grand Slam title, but also his first tournament win . "It's stabilized, certainly," said Vajda. "I was not expecting this win and the final, I thought the progress would be a bit later, because we've only been working since April, but it's stabilized and I can say," He's back. "

After his victory on Saturday, Djokovic was intercepted by a BBC interviewer, who asked him:" What does it make to be back? ""

" It's hard to pick the words, "he finally replied," I'm reviewing things that have been going on for 15 months, and all that I've experienced to get here. To reach the finals and win against the best player in the world, in one of the best matches I have ever played, over two days, I am overwhelmed. "

Djokovic said that he thought he and Anderson, who He beat in a fourth round match in five sets here in 2015, would be on a par with Sunday, given the Extra effort that they put in their semifinal matches.It will be the 22nd Grand Slam final of Djokovic and the second of Anderson.Anderson has lost the US Open of Last year against Nadal

"I do not know if I will be the big favorite in this game. I think we are quite, "says Djokovic.

Vajda said that he believed that both players would physically show their maximum form, despite the wear and tear of the past two days

" A Once you go to the final, physically you stay there, "he said." No one will give up, no one will have any signs of fatigue. It will be a complete and complete match with a full and complete focus. And maybe it will not last as long as the two semi-finals.