Imperious Djokovic defeats Musetti to reach 10th Wimbledon final
The 24-time Grand Slam champion beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to return to the Wimbledon final, where he will meet Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon, 2024 © Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic has made a triumphant return to the Wimbledon final, beating Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to reach his 10th showpiece at SW19.
It is a remarkable feat given that Djokovic’s participation in this year’s Championships was in serious doubt following an operation on his right knee just three weeks before the start of the tournament.
Musetti showed flashes of real brilliance throughout the match, but could not muster a set against the imperious quality of the world No 2.
Djokovic was in ominous form from the start, breaking his opponent in the sixth game after an extraordinary 27-shot rally on break point.
Musetti was doing very little wrong, but Djokovic simply had the answer to every question the Italian posed. There was a brief respite in the eighth game as Musetti did well to break when Djokovic had served for the set. But it was short-lived as the 24-time Grand Slam champion duly broke again in the next game to seal the opening set.
To his credit, Musetti was undeterred and fought vailiantly until the end. With the start of a new set came a renewed vigour from the Italian, who broke in spectacular fashion in the opening game before consolidating with a lengthy hold to fully ignite the contest.
Suddenly, Musetti was playing the tennis of his life, with the implementation of his drop shot and slice throwing Djokovic off his usually metronomic precision. He was frequently turning deep defence into blistering attack, with one point in particular that drew audible gasps of astonishment from the audience as he ended a breathtaking rally with a simply sublime backhand cross-court passing shot from behind the baseline.
But all that good work was undone in the blink of an eye as a loose service game handed Djokovic back the break in the sixth game. As he has done countless times in his career, Djokovic took full advantage, powering through the resulting tiebreak a few games later to move into a commanding two-set lead.
The pressure did not let up, as Djokovic opened the third set with a fifth break of serve to all but deliver the final blow to his opponent.
Again, though, Musetti refused to buckled where many others would have quickly faded. Having held serve well to keep the contest alive, the Italian then showed great resolve to save three consecutive match points when serving at 5-3 down, forcing Djokovic to answer one final question.
Just as at the start of the match, though, the Serb once again had the answer. Steadying himself at 0-30 down, he won the final four points of the match – with a little help from a few steely stares at a corner of the crowd – to reach yet another final at Wimbledon.
djokovic reaches 10th wimbledon final after uncertainty over participation
“I have said it many times Wimbledon has been a childhood dream for me to play it and to win it,” Djokovic said in a striking and heartfelt on-court interview.
“It is worth repeating I was a seven-year-old boy watching the bombs fly over my head and dreaming of being on the most important court in the world which is here in Wimbledon.
“I was constructing Wimbledon trophies out of any material in the room. I have the tremendous support from my family and my wife has been with me for many years and my children too – it has been an incredible journey.
“I try not to take it for granted every time I find myself on this unique court. Obviously during the match it is business time and trying to do your work and I try out play my opponent.
“I am satisfied and pleased, but I don’t want to stop here – hopefully I get my hands on the trophy.”
When asked about his lead-up to the tournament, during which it was unsure whether he would be able to play, Djokovic confirmed that “there was plenty of doubt”.
“I came into London eight days before the tournament stared. I didn’t know [if I would play] and I was keeping everything open until the day of the draw.
“I have played a couple of practise sets with top players and that proved to me I was in a good enough state to not just be in Wimbledon, but to go deep into the tournament.
“That kind of mentality is there and is ever present. Thank you to the team members for helping me.”
alcaraz and djokovic set for captivating rematch, with roles reversed
Djokovic has now won 39 of his past 40 matches at Wimbledon, and has lost just once in 11 years on Centre Court.
But in both cases, that loss was to who will be his opponent in Sunday’s final, Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair are set for a rematch of last year’s final, when the young Spaniard so superbly dethroned the seven-time champion across a five-set epic.
This year, the circumstances will be slightly altered as Djokovic reaches the final in what is his first of a troubled season.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, is no longer the young pretender. He is the defending champion, and he will face the last, greatest test of his title defence against the man whose four-time title defence he ended last season.
It should all make for an absolutely thrilling contest.
