By Ros Satar, at Wimbledon
- On Sunday, Novak Djokovic will face first time Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson as he bids for his fourth Wimbledon title
- Five reasons why he will emerge victorious on Sunday
WIMBLEDON, UK – On Sunday, Novak Djokovic will look to cement his comeback to the tour after injury and surgery by winning a fourth Wimbledon title
Experience
This is not Novak Djokovic’s first rodeo – this is his 22nd Grand Slam final and he has a 12-9 win-loss record. He has won three of his four previous finals and he knows what it takes to deal with the occasion and conditions.
Take nothing away from Kevin Anderson. The rangy South African has made his second Slam final within 12 months and there is absolutely no doubt that he too is heading in the right direction of being Slam contender for the future.
Djokovic’s War of attrition was considerably less
Sure, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had to play a semi-final over two days thanks to the lengthy first semi-final between Anderson and John Isner, but Djokovic has spent five hours less on court and has not had to play lengthy five setters twice in a row.
We have seen in the past that those catch up to you – Andy Murray struggled to keep pace with Djokovic in his Roland Garros final after being taken the distance early in the competition. Anderson has existed on adrenalin – but Djokovic will be that much fresher coming in.
Unfinished business at SW19
We have seen a return to the feisty Djokovic of old, roaring at winners, barking at his box and a move away from the zen like qualities and boy oh boy has it been working. Who cares whether the crowds sipping their Pimms think it is simply not the done thing? Djokovic is in the final and having bowed out of Wimbledon last year with the injuries that have caused him issues this season, it is time to get some closure.
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Still targets to reach
There is no reason why Djokovic cannot continue to chase down the enviable slam records of both Nadal and Federer. He came to realise just how much he missed tennis when he was away from the sport (indeed like many of his contemporaries) and there is longevity in his career.
Then there were three
The Big Five have dwindled, that is true as injuries have struck all of them, with lengthy absences off the court. We can argue that the future of the ATP still have some catching up to do as the last man to break that stranglehold between Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer was Marin Cilic. Since the Australian Open 2015, one of the Big Five has walked off with the trophy-ware, and since 2017 the Slams have been shared between Federer and Nadal. It’s time or two to become three as Djokovic reintroduces himself into the mix.
The Gentlemen’s’ Singles final takes place on Sunday at 2pm.
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