Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic – Renaissance on the most famous Grand Slam stage

Novak Djokovic will play Kevin Anderson on Sunday for his fourth Wimbledon title. The semi-final against Rafael Nadal will go down in tennis history as “Instant Classic”.

By Jörg Allmeroth from Wimbledon

He was in deep crisis a few months ago, the former ruler of the tennis world. But it was on the most famous Grand Slam stage of all places that Novak Djokovic’s Renaissance reached its temporary peak: in one of the great all-time classics in the All England Club on Saturday afternoon, Djokovic defeated his eternal rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6 and 10-8.

The 31-year-old Serb, currently number 21 in the world, turned his second match point after five hours and 15 minutes, the second longest semi-final in Wimbledon history, one day after the 6:35 hour marathon between Kevin Anderson and John Isner. The game was interrupted on Friday after three sets. Now Djokovic is fighting Anderson for his fourth Wimbledon title.

“I hope we can stand on our feet on Sunday,” said Djokovic, “it is an incredible moment for me now, after this difficult time”. After the French Open 2016, the moment he had won his last missing Grand Slam title, Djokovic had completely lost his course and concept and also his closest advisors, including Boris Becker, the head coach.

In spring, however, he had brought his former companion Marijan Vajda back to his side and slowly fought his way back to the top of the world. Djokovic’s memories of Anderson, the final debutant here in south-west London, are pleasant, as he won two previous matches on Church Road, including a memorable comeback success in the 2015 round after trailing 0:2 sets. Djokovic must be the clear favourite despite the two-day assignment.

Nadal and Djokovic had already fought an artistic duel full of tricks and finesse, but also with unbelievable dynamism and power on the first day of their two-part series. It seemed to the Centre Court community like a recovery after the six and a half hour thunderstorm that marathon fighters Anderson and John Isner had previously produced on the main All England Club pitch.

“Tennis has arrived on the Centre Court. Or better: “I came back,” commented Boris Becker on the BBC microphone. Especially the tie-break in the third set with its turbulent dramaturgy tore the fans formally from their seats, the advantages swayed back and forth, set points came and went for both superstars – before Djokovic then won this round and a 2:1 set lead.

However, it could not go any further for the two top players, for the duo from the famous Big Four Group, because from 11 pm there will be a closing hour for the tennis company Wimbledon, so to speak. When the tournament organizers installed their Centre Court roof almost a decade ago, they had to promise the residents from the Merton district that they would not maintain tennis operations for more than an hour before midnight.

However, there has never been a situation comparable to that on this Friday and Saturday since the introduction of the mobile umbrella over the Centre Court. In this case the roof was only used to switch on the floodlight – there was no rain, as on almost all other days of this sunny Grand Slam Festival 2018.

The actually sacred schedule for the last days of the tournament didn’t really work out on Saturday either. Djokovic and Nadal entered the fifth set, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber had to wait in the queue – and perhaps it all pleased only a certain Kevin Anderson, the endurance artist from South Africa.

“The fact that the other semi-final had to be postponed is a small compensation, a compensation for us,” said Anderson coach Brad Stine, “but it’s time there was a reform of the rules. “Nobody really likes a match like Friday.”