Novak Djokovic, who had to work harder than the other three semi-finalists to reach the closing weekend of Wimbledon, went into the trenches again on Friday against the flickering genius of Grigor Dimitrov before making it through to his third final.
The Serb will need to find more consistency to replicate his championship form of 2011, after taking just over three hours to beat the 23-year-old Bulgarian 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (9-7).
For the first couple of hours, their semi-final was not one of the great encounters; once it got to the business end, however, it morphed into a tense, close and occasionally rousing contest.
“I was playing against a future star,” Djokovic said. “He’s already a top player, winning against Murray in the quarters, he deserves respect.
“It was a tough match. Like last match against Cilic I allowed my opponent to come back into it. He has quality shots, great touch. His transition game has improved immensely the past eight months.
“But, overall, I’m happy to be in the final. I have lost the last couple of grand slam finals, and could have won. It’s a big challenge, the biggest event in our sport.”
Dimitrov, so impressive in beating Murray in three sets on Wednesday, looked less certain against the world No 2 and tournament favourite and was not helped by his inability to stay upright on a surface that looked dusty and slippery towards the end of the championship fortnight.
When the first crack in the Dimitrov defence appeared – at love-40 in the fifth game – he tried to hit his way out of trouble and, instead belted a forehand long. He would have to decide quickly between caution and daring.
Djokovic hit five aces through the eddying breeze in the first 15 minutes, while Dimitrov in that time was trying to neutralise the wind with eight visits to the net, his sharp volleying, backhand and forehand, causing the Serb to wonder about his placement.
But the Bulgarian was having less success from deep, the errors mounting under Djokovic’s educated pressure. Dimitrov found a pair of aces to hold for 4-5 but Djokovic held to love and the first set was gone in just 26 minutes.
Dimitrov, very much a touch player who relies on instinct rather than drilled technique, was not quite on song, framing his single-handed backhand, hitting long, wide and some times short – and surrendered his serve in the third game of the second set with a string of uncertain ground strokes.
When he double-faulted for 30-all in the fifth game, a lone clap of encouragement echoed around the stadium. It belonged to Maria Sharapova – who won the women's title here 10 years ago. If only she could transmit to him some of her famed fighting spirit, he might be able to extricate himself from the hole he had been digging.
He held. Just. After nearly an hour, it was still a contest – and more so when Djokovic got careless on serve to hand Dimitrov a break at 3-3. The young lion had another couple of opportunities in the eighth game, breaking when Djokovic pushed a cross-court chip into the tramlines.
Dimitrov levelled at a set apiece, serving out to 15 with renewed confidence, and the fans sensed a proper fight was brewing.
After an hour and 25 minutes, they were a set all, 2-2 going with serve in the third, with 66 points each. It could not have been more even. The question was: could the elegant Bulgarian survive an examination of his resolve in the biggest match of his career if he stirred the five-set beast in Djokovic? He had a look in the seventh game but did not grab it.
Djokovic butchered a forehand at 30-all in the eighth game and tossed his racket a good 30 feet into the air, catching it like a circus juggler.
There would be no more clowning, though, and he aced for the 13th time to hold to love.
The tie-break arrived after just under two hours of stuttering tennis and heads started to loll in the crowd on a soporific afternoon, although they were roused when Dimitrov struck his fourth double fault, then the net with his backhand, and Djokovic served out to put himself a set away from the final.
Three double faults on the spin – almost “a full Serena” – by Dimitrov in the third game of the fourth set were unexpected gifts for Djokovic. Now we would see what the young prodigy was made of: he outfoxed Djokovic at the net to get back on level terms, and held with two aces when it looked as if his serve, once such a liability, might crumble again.
Yet again, however, Dimitrov found something special with which to fight one of the game’s toughest competitors. In a quite wonderful 10th game, Dimitrov pulled off a couple of extraordinary winners on the stretch for break point but, tumbling comically to the turf for the umpteenth time, could not clinch it, and they punched their way to a second shoot-out.
Dimitrov had made an unholy mess of the first tie-break and the smart money was on the man with six slam titles to his name and a 21-8 record in five-setters to make him suffer again.
The Bulgarian shot-maker led 3-1 after an elevating 19-stroke rally then found the net with his next forehand; nobody could accuse him of being dull. Djokovic scrambled to save three set points, then came in behind his serve on match point (with his coach, Boris Becker, no doubt goggle-eyed) and was passed. But he held his nerve to finish it with a cool, crisp forehand to an empty court.
(Guardian Service)
