Wimbledon 2019: Novak Djokovic moves one win from fifth title

John Skilbeck

•
Wimbledon 2019: Novak Djokovic moves one win from fifth title image

Novak Djokovic won through to his sixth Wimbledon final and will chase a fifth title Sunday after grinding out a semifinal victory Friday against Roberto Bautista Agut.

The 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory for the top seed was not always pretty, and his frustration boiled over several times.

There were moments when Djokovic seemed to believe he was in a bearpit of an arena, rather than the genteel surroundings of Centre Court in leafy southwest London.

He took on the crowd for showing support for Bautista Agut, when the Spaniard, seeded 23rd, produced a spirited fightback to take the second set, and may have won few friends.

Yet this was all about getting another job done for Djokovic, another step on a well-trodden path toward glory.

It has been Djokovic, and not Andy Murray, not Roger Federer and certainly not Rafael Nadal, who has been the dominant force in the men's singles at Wimbledon over the last decade.

Titles in 2011, 2014, 2015 and last year have helped the 32-year-old reach a haul of 15 Grand Slams, with more surely to come. He may one day become the most prolific major winner.

By comparison, Bautista Agut was playing his first Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 31 in a week when he was meant to be at his own stag party in Ibiza. He was shaky in the early moments and dropped serve twice in the opening set.

The inevitable question was whether this would remain a one-sided contest, as disappointing as the two women's semifinals Thursday, or whether Bautista Agut might find a response.

Watched from the Royal Box by Rod Laver and Alex Ferguson, the initially imperturbable Djokovic suddenly hit a dip and his opponent began to score with winners.

One such shot, a tremendous inside-out forehand, whistled past Djokovic's backhand to earn a break.

Djokovic became ragged and his mood darkened when Bautista Agut leveled the match with a forehand off the netcord, the ball dropping dead on the world No. 1's side.

Seemingly riled by the British crowd siding with Bautista Agut, rather than the time-and-again Wimbledon champion in their midst, Djokovic threw up his arms in an invitation for them to get behind him instead.

The rallies became longer, Djokovic ready to test Bautista Agut's mental and physical stamina. And when Bautista Agut held his first service game of the third set, Djokovic swung his racket toward the grass in exasperation.

Eventually he managed to channel his aggression sensibly and broke for 4-2 by taking command of the net on successive points, roaring a battle cry when he smashed away to seize the momentum.

Djokovic pointed to his ear, another message to the crowd, when he lashed a backhand down the line to win a remarkable 45-shot point and save break point in his next service game.

He took the set, missed out on three break points at the start of the fourth but struck in Bautista Agut's next service game, again in the fifth game, and it was all downhill from there.

This was seen by many as the aperitif for the second semifinal between Federer and Nadal. Djokovic may end up being the headline act again come Sunday evening.

John McEnroe, commentating for the BBC, observed that Djokovic had managed to turn his perception of crowd bias into a positive.

"He used it to energize himself and you've got to love that," McEnroe said.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Novak Djokovic [1] bt Roberto Bautista Agut [23] 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-2

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 42/29
Bautista Agut – 34/30

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 9/3
Bautista Agut – 5/2

BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 5/8
Bautista Agut – 1/5

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Djokovic – 64
Bautista Agut – 67

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Djokovic – 77/51
Bautista Agut – 68/49

TOTAL POINTS
Djokovic – 119
Bautista Agut - 102

John Skilbeck