The most successful men’s tennis player in the modern era, Novak Djokovic secured a straightforward 3-setter victory against Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles semifinal of Wimbledon 2023 on Friday. Djokovic had an awkward start to the first set that saw him being broken early but the Serbian ace produced his best show, beating the Italian in the first three sets to secure a convincing victory. Djokovic would now face Carlos Alcaraz in the final on Sunday. Alcaraz had beaten Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a 4-set clash. 

Just five weeks after undergoing knee surgery, seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic reached his 10th final at the All England Club with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 win over the Italian 25th seed.

Djokovic, 37, can equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and become the tournament’s oldest champion of the modern era if he avenges last year’s dramatic five-set final loss to Alcaraz.

The last time Djokovic and Musetti met was at the French Open in June when the Serb claimed victory in a third round tie which ended at 3:07 in the morning.

On Friday, however, Djokovic was untroubled on his way to a 37th Grand Slam final.

He broke for 4-2 lead in the opener and, despite surrendering the advantage and letting two set points slip in the ninth game, he broke again in the 10th to claim the set.

The second seed was playing in his 49th Grand Slam semi-final while the 22-year-old Musetti was in his first.

That experience was key as Djokovic hit back from losing serve in the opening game of the second set to level in the sixth before dominating the tie-break.

A break in the opening game of the third set launched him on his way to victory against a demoralised Musetti, who at least had the consolation of saving three match points before Djokovic completed his progress to yet another Wimbledon final.

Earlier, world number three Alcaraz beat his fifth-ranked opponent 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and will face either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti for the title on Sunday.

Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the 2023 final in a five-set thriller.

“Obviously it will be a really difficult match. Let’s see who I am going to play on Sunday,” said Alcaraz who crunched 55 winners to the 31 from Medvedev.

“I feel like I am not new anymore. I know how I am going to feel before the final. I have been in this position before.”

He added: “I started really nervous today. Daniil was dominating the match, playing great tennis. It was difficult for me.”

Twice Medvedev, beaten by the Spaniard at the same stage last year, led with breaks in the first set only to be pinned back.

Such was his frustration that he was handed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct by umpire Eva Asderaki for an apparent foul-mouthed reaction to a ball called for bouncing twice as he was broken in the ninth game.

The tournament referee and supervisor were even summoned to Centre Court by Asderaki, but Medvedev shrugged off the incident to sweep through the tie-break and take the opening set in which he committed only eight unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 15.

It was the third time at this year’s Wimbledon that Alcaraz had dropped the first set.

Alcaraz recovered impressively, breaking Medvedev for a 3-1 lead in the second, having come out on top in the previous game on the back of a 27-shot rally.

The 21-year-old then hit 14 winners in the third set, pocketing the only break in the third game.

Medvedev, who had knocked out world number one Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, retrieved a break early in the fourth set.

But Alcaraz kept up his assault, edging ahead again for 4-3 on his way to victory.

With AFP Inputs