Novak Djokovic reached the 2023 Wimbledon men’s singles final for the fifth year in a row with a dominant three set win over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on Friday.
The second seed captured a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory against the eighth-seeded Italian, and is now one win away from a record-equalling eighth men’s title.
Novak took the first two sets, breaking once in each. The third set could have gone either way. It was a tighter affair with neither player able to break. That led to a tie-break in which Novak won six of the final seven points to complete his win.
The match lasted two hours and 46 minutes.
“In the semi-finals, it was always going to be a very close and very tense match,” said Djokovic. “That was the case and the scoreline doesn’t give the reality of what was happening on the court. It was super close. Jannik has proven why he is one of the leaders of the next generation and one of the best players in the world.”
Match statistics: aces (11-8), double faults (0-3), winners (33-44), unforced errors (21-34), total points won (105-96).
In his ninth final at the All England Club (Sunday at 15.00 CET), the 36-year-old Serbian star will face top seed Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) who defeated third seed Daniil Medvedev (RUS) in straight sets: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
It will be a record 35th Grand Slam final appearance for Nole.
Djokovic is bidding for a record-extending 24th Grand Slam men’s singles title, and he is also seeking to reclaim the top spot in the ATP Rankings.
Novak has not lost a match at Wimbledon since 2016 and has not been beaten on Centre Court since 2013.
Photo: AP
