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Novak Djokovic promised there will be “fireworks” when he takes on Australia’s Nick Kyrgios for the Wimbledon title on Sunday night (AEST).
Six-time champion Djokovic reached his eighth final at the All England Club, and a record 32nd in men’s Slams, by seeing off Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in Friday’s semi-final.
“The job is not finished,” said the 35-year-old. “One thing is for sure — there are going to be a lot of fireworks emotionally from both.”
Despite playing in his first final at the majors, Kyrgios boasts a 2-0 edge over the former world number one.
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In the meetings in Acapulco and Indian Wells in 2017, Djokovic failed even to win a set.
“We haven’t played for some time. I’ve never won a set off him,” said Djokovic. “Hopefully it can be different this time. It’s another final for me at Wimbledon, so hopefully the experience can work in my favour.” For the second match in succession, Djokovic dropped the opening set on Friday before sweeping past 12th-ranked Norrie, playing in his first semi-final at the Slams.
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The left-hander even broke serve three times in the opener before his challenge fizzled out under the bright afternoon sun.
“I was a bit tight at the beginning of the match. Cameron was dominating the play and I felt like I got lucky in the second set to break his serve,” said Djokovic.
“He kind of gifted me a game and then the momentum shifted a bit. That’s the significance of the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.” – ‘Bromance’ –
Kyrgios earlier Friday told reporters that his relationship with Djokovic had warmed following his show of support for the Serb earlier this year over his visa cancellation saga.
Djokovic was deported from Australia after losing a legal battle over his coronavirus vaccination status, meaning he was unable to defend his Australian Open title.
“We definitely have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird,” said the 27-year-old Kyrgios.
“I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. I think it was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was hype around it.” But he said things had changed.
“I felt like I was almost the only kind of player to stand up for him with all that kind of drama at Australian Open,” he said. “I feel like that’s where respect is kind of earned.” Djokovic, speaking after his win against Norrie, agreed the relationship between the players had improved.
“I don’t know if I can call it a bromance yet, but we definitely have a better relationship than what it was probably prior to January this year,” he said.
“But when it was really tough for me in Australia, — he was one of the very few players that came out publicly and supported me and stood by me. That’s something I truly appreciate. So I respect him for that a lot.”
— AFP
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