Top dog Djokovic has Rafa in sights
Djokovic reached his first Wimbledon final yesterday by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a thrilling four-set win on Centre Court.
The victory also meant that the Serb leapfrogged Nadal, conqueror of Andy Murray yesterday, to the top of the men’s rankings for the first time in his career.
The two men face off in what promises to be a thrilling final tomorrow afternoon, with Nadal holding a 16-11 advantage in the pair’s head-to-head record.
The Spaniard, champion at the All England Club in 2008 and 2010, has, incredibly, not lost at SW19 since his 2007 final defeat to Roger Federer.
However, Djokovic has beaten the Spaniard four times recently in the middle of his 43-match unbeaten run, and is confident that he can claim his first Wimbledon title this weekend.
“This year we have played so many finals and important matches and even though it’s a different surface here, I believe I can win,” Djokovic said.
“He’s been on a winning streak in Wimbledon for almost 20 matches. He’s playing great on grass.
“He has still a lot of confidence and he knows how it feels like to win a trophy at Wimbledon. Me, I don’t know, because I never been there.
“But I have really nothing to lose. I will step on the court and be aggressive, try to take it to him, because I don’t want him to feel in control of the match.”
Djokovic admits being crowned world number one will count for nothing if he goes home without being crowned champion.
“Being number one is good, but I have to make it count now, of course,” said Djokovic, whose only two major wins have come in Australia.
Djokovic had to dig deep to beat Tsonga, the Frenchman reeling off huge serves and forehands to send his opponent scurrying around the court.
Tsonga was on course to take the first set with an early break before Djokovic broke back, eventually winning a tie-break and coasting to victory in the second.
Tsonga then clinched a thrilling tie-break in the third, with Djokovic squandering two match points, but the Serb hit back to take the fourth set 6-3.
Djokovic admitted that Tsonga, seeded 12th, gave him a very tough game.
“He’s a kind of player that feeds from the energy of the crowd and when he has momentum he can really be unstoppable at times,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nadal admitted he felt “sad” for Murray after defeating the Scot to reach the Wimbledon final.
The defending champion battled back from a set down to win 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-4.
“I feel sad for Andy. I think he deserves to be in the final. I wish him the best for the rest of the year. This match was tough for him,” the Spaniard said.
Murray clinched the first set with a confident display but Nadal came back in style, producing his best tennis of the tournament to move into the final.
“I think I played very well to win today,” said Nadal, who expects a tough time tomorrow.
“He (Djokovic) has only lost one in the whole season and I have already lost four times against him so it will be really difficult but I will try my best as always.”
ANDY MURRAY’S Wimbledon exit at the hands of Rafa Nadal yesterday rendered him “31% less British” according to a tongue-in-cheek website.
The AndyMurrayometer makes light of an oft-cited jibe that Murray is considered by English fans and media to be British instead of Scottish — but only when he is winning.
The site aggregates visitor votes as to whether he is “more pimms or meths”, with 50% reckoned to be the cut-off point where he returns to being solely Scottish.
His run to the Wimbledon semi-finals had raised his Britishness to a two-year high of 91%, but that figure had plummeted to 60% within an hour of his three-sets-to-one defeat at the hands of Nadal.
- www.andymurrayometer.com
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