4 milestones Novak Djokovic achieved with his Wimbledon SF win
Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic crushed Cameron Norrie's Wimbledon hopes to advance to Sunday's final. He will face Nick Kyrgios with the goal of winning his eighth championship.
Cameron Norrie dominated Novak Djokovic to win the first set as he sought to become the second British man to reach the Wimbledon final in the Open Era, following Andy Murray. But Djokovic came back from a set down to win 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 and maintain his chances of winning the All England Club tournament for the fourth time in a row, proving why he hasn't lost a match on Center Court in nine years.
One step away from a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
@DjokerNole defeats Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his eighth final at The Championships
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/wVXnsfKrIN
In his on-court interview, the Serb praised his opponent, calling him a "great player."
"He was the better player in the first set," Djokovic said. "Semis of a Slam, I played them a lot, but there is always pressure, from yourself and from the outside. Cam is a great player. I was tight in the beginning, didn’t go through the shots. Got a bit lucky in the second set, he gifted me the break, missed a couple of putaways and momentum changed.”
With the win over Norrie, Novak Djokovic achieved several significant milestones. In view of that, the following three are presented in no particular order:
#1. Novak Djokovic has reached the most men's singles Grand Slam finals in the Open Era
Djokovic, a six-time Wimbledon champion, became the first male player to reach 32 Grand Slam finals after extending his streak of consecutive triumphs at SW19 to 27. He has only lost one of his previous 19 Slam semifinal matches since 2015 (vs Dominic Thiem, 2019 French Open).
With this victory, he surpassed Roger Federer, who has 31 Grand Slam finals to his name in the Open Era, followed by Rafael Nadal (30), Ivan Lendl (19) and Pete Sampras (18).
32 - Novak #Djokovic is the male player with the most Grand Slam finals reached in the Open Era. History.
#Wimbledon2022 #Wimbledon https://t.co/DWJ3IQa8MB
#2. Novak Djokovic is the 3rd male player in the Open Era to reach the final at Wimbledon after turning 35
Novak Djokovic, who is 35 years and 49 days old, joins Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer as the only male players in the Open Era to have advanced to the Wimbledon men's singles final at the age of 35 or older.
This might be Djokovic's last opportunity to win a Slam this year. The Serb, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, will not be able to travel to the United States, where proof of vaccination is required for a visa.
3 - Novak #Djokovic is the third male player in the Open Era to reach the Championship match in #Wimbledon after turning 35, along with Ken Rosewall (1970 and 1974) and Roger Federer (2017 and 2019). Endless.
#Wimbledon2022 https://t.co/avc5JR1ziW
#3. Novak Djokovic is the 6th male player in the Open Era to reach 4 consecutive finals in Wimbledon
The World No. 3 became the sixth male player in the Open Era to reach four consecutive finals at Wimbledon. His streak of finals started in 2018 and is ongoing till date.
With this achievement, he joined the likes of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer. Also, if Djokovic manages to emerge as this year's Wimbledon champion, he will be one step closer to equaling Federer's Wimbledon title count, with seven titles to his name.
4 - Novak #Djokovic is the sixth male player in the Open Era to reach 4+ consecutive finals in #Wimbledon after Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Sensational.
#Wimbledon2022 https://t.co/xg2aoHYuer
#4. Novak #Djokovic is the second player in the Open Era to have reached 8 men’s singles finals at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic, who will lock horns with Nick Kyrgios in the final match to win his seventh title at the SW19, is the second player in the Open Era with more than eight appearances in the men's singles finals at Wimbledon.
The only player ahead of him is Roger Federer, with his stunning record of having reached 12 men's singles finals in the Open Era on his favorite surface, followed by Boris Becker and Pete Sampras (7), Bjorn Borg & Jimmy Connors (6), Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe (5).
8 - Novak #Djokovic is the second player in the Open Era with 8+ Men’s Singles finals in #Wimbledon, after Roger Federer (12). Collection.
#Wimbledon2022 https://t.co/ll7FK90YS9