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Peter Bodo Tennis
WIMBLEDON – He was a relentless force, as cool and studied as his opponent through the net on the center court, Rafael Nadal, was passionate and hot. Novak Djokovic was back in the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time in three years on Saturday, apparently a different man. With his head tilted between the tips, his eyes fixed on the grass at his toes, Djokovic stood straight and studied his strings as Nadal completed his pre-service rituals, diving only at the last moment into the squat of this receiver. signature. brief glimpse of "old" Djokovic, once given to tear his shirt, hammering his heart with a fist, bellowing in triumph. Difficulties, such as Djokovic's abrupt fall from above and the subsidence that ensues, can even teach an elite athlete the value of restraint.
But if the sound was gone, the fury was back. Djokovic, seeded No. 12 here at Wimbledon, played a match that answered all the lingering questions about the progress of his return. He and Nadal produced the second-longest and one of the most dazzling semifinals ever seen at Wimbledon. (The longest was produced on Friday, when Kevin Anderson beat John Isner in a marathon of 7 hours and 36 minutes). Djokovic survived Nadal, extending his slim lead in their epic rivalry to 27-25, in 5 hours, 15 minutes, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8.
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in a five-leg match that lasted more than 5 hours in two days. He will be in contention for his fourth Wimbledon title vs. Kevin Anderson.
The records fell, people came and went, but at the end of six and a half hours of heavy tennis, Tom Hamilton learned to love one of the most extraordinary.
Kevin Anderson won Wimbledon's longest semifinal, beating John Isner 26-24 in the deciding set of a 6-hour 36-minute marathon
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that was stopped with Djokovic leading by two sets to a Friday night because of the 23 hours The Wimbledon curfew resumed at 13 hours. (pushing the women's final) under the roof of the Center Court. The unpredictable fluctuations in momentum continued until the end. Players often cite things that they could have done differently during post-mortems in the newsroom, but not this time:
"Normally, I'm very critical of myself," Nadal said by way of after. "[But] I hit very good shots, I played aggressively, I missed balls – not too much, but I missed a few … When you play with this intensity, with this level of risk, sometimes you go over, no? "
Nadal claimed that he had no complaints. Nothing that he would have done differently, resumed, or altered. He felt that he was playing a good match, just like Djokovic, who beat him straight and square.
"I do not have many more things in me," he added. "I give my best and that's all."
The angle of human interest is always interesting in matches like this, and it could be sued in the name of one or the other man. But sometimes, the most interesting story has more to do with a less compelling aspect of the match, something technical.
In this match, it was hard to ignore the advantage that Djokovic had because he was hitting a flatter ball and more laser. on both sides. His shots move simply on a flatter trajectory, arrive faster and land further than those of Nadal, whose point shots were specially designed for a very different surface.
Nadal does a lot of brilliant shots on the grass, but it's not because he has big shots of turf. The proximity of this match was a tribute to Nadal's courage as a competitor, the result being a eulogy of Djokovic's composure at a time when the momentum changed in Nadal's favor.
"He is probably the best fighter of this game" Djokovic told me. "He faces each point as if he was the last one, you come in the match against him knowing that you have to earn points, it is already a moment of energy expenditure."
Conserving one's energy is paramount in a match with Nadal, but this is only a partial explanation of Djokovic's reach on the pitch. Since the beginning of its collapse, the 31-year-old Serbian star has turned to attitudes that can be loosely termed Zen or centered on inner peace and balance. These inclinations helped him control his emotions during some difficulties against Nadal.
"When you play such a level, against one of the biggest rivals, probably my biggest rival, it's pretty intense," Djokovic said. "There are a lot of emotions at play. A lot at stake. It is important to accept and accept everything that is going on and try to have a calm mind. because the calm spirit in the end wins out. "
In sight for Djokovic now, the last Sunday race against Kevin Anderson. The # 8 seed had a day off Saturday but has played more than 15 hours of tennis in his last three rounds. He came to the tournament with a chronic hamstring injury, for which he was wearing compression shorts. He did not even know how to tackle his recovery from the semi-finals, having never been involved in such a long match.
"I think we're going to play at the ear, see how I feel, see how my body reacts in the morning," Anderson said Friday night. "My feet are sore, they are swollen, the legs are rather jelly-like Ideally, I would like to go out and knock for maybe 30 minutes just to keep the eye. I want to try to keep the same kind "
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Novak Djokovic spoke after his semifinal win at Wimbledon against Rafael Nadal, advancing for his 22nd final final.
T optimal circumstances for a player about to face a list of 12 Grand Slam singles. Djokovic's profile as a player is also fraught with challenges for a player the size of Anderson (6 feet 8 inches) and the state of tiredness
Djokovic is a superb basic player who can shake a player in every way. to and from the net. He is also a master of aggressive service return, even against a high-quality server like Anderson, who ranks second behind Isner as the leading as-producer in this tournament, from 172 to 214. Anderson would likely be better offensively, try to smother Djokovic with a demonstration of power. The lean and muscular athlete from South Africa has been impressive since the start of the race. He held up well when he thwarted Federer in the quarterfinals. But unless there is a staggering disappointment on the part of Djokovic, Anderson can not compete in this department.
But Djokovic's return was marked by a number of setbacks that occurred while he was in a similar position. Remember, he lost in recent quarterfinals of the Open de France to a companion who had not won a match in a Grand Slam tournament.
You can bet that Anderson will have thought of that before the two men go out.
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