Djokovic beats Nadal after marathon battle, advances to Wimbledon final

July 14, 2018
Wimbledon: Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic on Saturday beat World No.1 Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (11-9), 3-6, 10-8, ending a marathon match that began a day earlier to advance to the final of Wimbledon.

In total, World No. 21 Djokovic needed five hours and 15 minutes to make reach his fifth career Wimbledon final, marking a stunning return to form after struggling with a right elbow injury earlier this season, reports Efe.

The match was suspended Friday evening after Djokovic sealed the lengthy third set tiebreak 11-9, following two hours and 53 minutes of play, and resumed again Saturday under a closed roof.

The two stars ended the match with exactly the same stats, each firing 73 winners and only 42 unforced errors.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, attended the match in their first appearance together without their husbands, Princes Harry and William.

For the final, Djokovic is set to face Kevin Anderson of South Africa, World No. 8, who is making his first appearance in Wimbledon’s last round after beating the John Isner of the United States 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 26-24 on Friday.

Despite Djokovic’s two-day match, Anderson may be the one at a disadvantage in the final, as the South African’s semifinal against Isner lasted a record-breaking six hours and 36 minutes.

Djokovic has also beaten Anderson in five of their six encounters.
(IANS)