Wimbledon: 'Grand Slams are everything' - Novak Djokovic ready to join Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal on 20 majors
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Published 09/07/2021 at 19:51 GMT
World number one Novak Djokovic was utterly dominant and imperious as he cruised past a forlorn Denis Shapovalov on Centre Court to clinch a straight-sets win and secure his place in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. Djokovic only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match against the 10th seed and won through, 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5, in three tight sets during which he showed his class once more.
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After reaching his 30th Grand Slam final, having beaten Denis Shapovalov at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is ready to draw level with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 major titles.
The world number one is targeting a staggering 20th Grand Slam title at SW19 this fortnight to tie the tallies of Federer and Nadal - and it would be a bold person to bet against him.
Djokovic, the top seed, will face Italy's Matteo Berrettini in Sunday's showpiece after the seventh seed defeated Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets earlier on Friday afternoon.
Remarkably, he only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match as he secured his place in the final with his 20th victory in Grand Slam encounters this year. He later admitted that majors are what he is really focused on at this stage in his career.
"The most special tournament in the world for me, on this court, and there is no holding back," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
"Once you step out, particularly at the latter stages of an event I dream of winning and the dream keeps going. I am trying to take out the maximum of my own abilities each match and see what happens.
At this stage of my career, Grand Slams are everything and I have been very privileged to make history in the sport I truly love.
"Every time I hear there is something on the line that is historic it inspires me but at the same time I have to balance it and win only the next match."
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Novak Djokovic
Image credit: Getty Images
Djokovic won through in two hours and 44 minutes, which demonstrates just how tough all three sets were for the world number one. But ultimately he was just too ruthless and clinical when it really mattered.
"I don't think the scoreline says enough about the performance or the match," Djokovic continued. "He was serving for the first set and was probably the better player, had many chances.
"I would like to give him a big round of applause for everything he has done today and also this two weeks. We are going to see a lot of him in the future, he is a great player."
The Australian Open and French Open champion earlier this year has been heavily backed to continue his incredible form this season as he aims to draw level with Federer and Nadal on 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
The defending champion certainly appears set to make it three Grand Slams out of three this year if he can continue the way he has been playing at the tournament in the final stages.
While his opponent on Sunday, Berrettini, is the first Italian to reach the men's singles final at Wimbledon, Djokovic will be aiming to clinch his sixth title and retain his crown from 2019 when he defeated Federer in a famous final.
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Watch daily evening highlights of all the best action from Wimbledon on Eurosport 1, plus the men's and women's finals live on Eurosport 2. All coverage is also available to stream via eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.
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