Djokovic sets the stage for ‘greatest challenge’
Imperious Serb sees off the French finesse of Gasquet in straight sets to reach final
OVAK DJOKOVIC is looking forward to “the greatest challenge” that tennis can offer when he meets Roger Federer tomorrow in a re-run of last year’s Wimbledon final. It is the third year in a row that the world No.1, who beat Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in their semi-final, has reached the final – he beat Federer last year and lost to Andy Murray in 2013.
“Roger and I played many times,” said Djokovic, who also won the title here in 2011. “He’s one of my greatest rivals. He’s one of the people that actually made me a better player, as well. In the matches against him, I went through a lot of different emotions and things that allowed me to understand what I need to do to become a better player and to win against him and win grand-slam trophies.
“He’s so good and so consistent, we shouldn’t spend too much words about him. We all know how good he is – he’s the greatest ever. There’s not enough praise for what he does.
“This is where he loves to play. This is where he plays his best tennis, I think. The Centre Court of Wimbledon, seven titles – it’s his court. He loves it.
“He usually rises to the occasion. He always playing his toughest when it matters the most. That’s why he’s a big champion. It’s going to be probably the biggest challenge I can have.”
Gasquet, as in so many of his matches against more highly ranked players, delivered the more aesthetically pleasing shots, and at his very best moments reached heights of quality that were greater in isolation than anything Djokovic could muster. But the Serb’s all-round game was more solid by far, and during those rare occasions when he did get in trouble, the blistering power of his serve got him back out of it in short order.
“The first set was really close,” Djokovic added. “I thought Richard played some really good tennis, especially from the backhand side. He made a lot of winners.
“As I said, it was very close, but that was probably the turning point. Winning the first-set tie-break was psychologically very helpful for the rest of the match.”
Djokovic has now only lost to Gasquet once in 13 previous meetings, with that one exception having come all of eight years ago. This was their third meeting in a grand slam, and Gasquet has yet to take so much as a set off Djokovic.
Even so, he was pleased with his showing this year, and had no complaints about losing to the top seed. “It’s been a great tournament for me,” he said. “To lose against Novak in the semi-final, it’s very nice for me. I did my best. I’m really happy the way I played and the way I finished the tournament.”
The way he played will be ominous for Andy Murray and the rest of the Great Britain team as they prepare to meet France in the Davis Cup quarterfinal at Queen’s next week. At No.20, Gasquet is the third-ranked Frenchman behind team-mates Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Nicolas Mahut completes the quartet.
But, while he is on fine form, Gasquet still has a tendency to buckle under pressure, and that vulnerability was exposed when he was broken in his very first service game against Djokovic. The new-found fighting spirit that Gasquet showed in the quarterfinal against Stan Wawrinka was also in evidence when he broke back immediately, and as the first set wore on, the quality of some of the Frenchman’s down-the-line backhands was exceptional. It was a standard of play that would have demoralised a lesser player, but Djokovic looked as unperturbed as ever.
The top seed has long had the habit of making the exceptional seem routine and the extraordinary appear effortless, and that was exemplified when he took