Novak Djokovic becomes first male player in tennis history to reach 8 finals at 3 Grand Slams
Novak Djokovic beat Cameron Norrie in four sets on Friday to reach his eighth Wimbledon final, fourth on the trot.
The top seed made a rather slow start on Centre Court, dropping his serve three times to concede the opening set. However, he regrouped remarkably, taking the next two sets for the loss of just five games. In a competitive fourth set featuring a lone break of serve, Djokovic served out victory to reach his fourth straight Wimbledon final.
In the process, the 35-year-old became the first male player in tennis history to reach eight finals at three Grand Slams. Djokovic is 9-0 in Australian Open finals, 6-1 in Wimbledon title matches and 3-6 in US Open finals. He has also reached six finals at Roland Garros, winning two (2016, 2021).
Djokovic is the only man in tennis history (1877-2022) to reach 8+ finals across 3 different Slams (AO×9, USO×9, Wimbledon x8).
No other man has 8+finals across 2 Slams.
By making the title match at SW19 this fortnight, Djokovic has scaled another milestone. He has become the first male player to play 32 Major finals, breaking a tie with Roger Federer.
"I am aware of what is at stake" - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic will now take on unseeded Australian Nick Kyrgios on Sunday. He'll look to win his 21st Major to close the gap on all-time men's singles Grand Slam leader Rafael Nadal (22).
Victory on Sunday will make the Serb the fourth male player in the Open Era to win four consecutive Wimbledon titles (also Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer). He'll also become the third player to triumph seven times at SW19, emulating Federer (8) and Sampras (7).
Djokovic. Kyrgios.
Centre Court. Sunday.
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/GUldzbDgmR
Aware of what's at stake for him on Sunday, Djokovic admitted as much in his press conference, saying:
“I am aware of what is at stake. Every match, every Grand Slam that I play at this stage of my career, the stakes are high. I don't know how many opportunities to win Grand Slam trophies I will have in the future. I face this final with a positive attitude and with confidence and the will to win," Djokovic said.
Kyrgios (No. 40) is the lowest ranked player Djokovic will face in a Major final. The Serb is 3-0 against first-time Grand Slam finalists, so Kyrgios will have his task cut out on Sunday.
Interestingly, the Australian has not dropped a set against Novak Djokovic in two meetings (both in 2017). However, things could be different in a Slam final, where the Serb often enters 'beast' mode.