Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after beating Britain's Cameron Norrie in a men's singles semifinal on day twelve of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)Novak Djokovic fashioned a second consecutive comeback victory at Wimbledon on Friday, this one with a deficit far less daunting, the drama far less possible.
The top-seeded Djokovic beat No. 9 seed Cam Norrie of Britain 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals to run his winning streak at the All England Club to 27 matches in a row as he pursues a fourth straight championship there.
On the steamiest afternoon of the fortnight so far, with the temperature reaching 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius) and the air still, Djokovic got off to a slow start and often looked displeased, shaking his head or gesticulating toward his guest box. But unlike in the quarterfinals, when he dropped the opening two sets against No. 10 seed Jannik Sinner before winning in five, it took little time for Djokovic to assert his dominance.
One step away from a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.@DjokerNole defeats Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his eighth final at The Championships#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/wVXnsfKrIN
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2022
When it ended, Djokovic curled his lips as if sending a kiss to someone in the stands who had been backing Norrie during the match.
Djokovic will face first-time major finalist Nick Kyrgios for the trophy on Sunday. The unseeded Kyrgios, a 27-year-old from Australia, did not need to play on Friday because 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from their semifinal with a torn abdominal muscle.
⭐ The tweener-volley combo ⭐
Play of the Day belongs to @DjokerNole for this Centre Court special#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 | @HSBC_Sport pic.twitter.com/OdOqPWuQ2K
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2022
It will be the 32nd Grand Slam title match for Djokovic, breaking a tie for the men’s record he shared with Roger Federer, and gives the 35-year-old from Serbia a shot at a 21st major title and seventh at Wimbledon. Only Federer, with eight, owns more at the grass-court tournament.
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The women’s final is Saturday, with No. 3 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia facing No. 17 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. That will be the first Wimbledon final since 1962 between two women both making their debuts in a major final.
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