LONDON: Novak Djokovic prepares for Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final against Cameron Norrie in the knowledge that arch-rival Rafael Nadal is no longer standing in the way of a 21st Grand Slam triumph. The Spanish second seed was forced to withdraw on Thursday ahead of his last four match against Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal injury, conceding defeat in his race to be fit. Nadal’s withdrawal deprives the tournament of a blockbuster semi-final against Kyrgios, which had been on the cards since the Australian beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a hard-fought third-round match. Kyrgios will have an enforced break ahead of Sunday’s final, while Djokovic, the top seed, could now see the road to a fourth straight Wimbledon title opening up for him. The Serb had to come back from two sets down against Italian 10th seed Yannick Siner in his quarter-final on Tuesday. But the 35-year-old finished the match looking fresh, even pulling off an outrageous winner while doing the splits.
Nick Kyrgios sends his best wishes to Rafael Nadal 🤝#Wimbledon https://t.co/AKj1CTcT07
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 1657226940000 Djokovic is on a 26-match winning streak at Wimbledon as he seeks to match Pete Sampras with seven titles at the All England Club – just one behind Roger Federer’s men’s record. He is also hoping to reach a record 32nd Grand Slam singles final, which would put him one ahead of Federer. If he wins the title, he will reach 21 Grand Slam titles, ahead of Federer and just one behind Nadal in the race to be crowned the greatest of all time. British ninth seed Norrie had never reached the third round of a Grand Slam before this year’s Wimbledon.
The 26-year-old has vowed to “take it” from Djokovic and will be hoping to ride a wave of home support, but has an uphill task to unseat the champion. Djokovic, who defeated Norrie in their only previous meeting, is prepared for a partisan crowd. “There’s not much for him to lose,” he said. “Every win from here on out is a big deal for him. “I know that. But, you know, I practiced a few times. I know his game well. He’s been around. Of course I’ll do my homework and get ready.” Kyrgios will be kicking his heels on Friday, denied the chance to repeat his famous 2014 win over Nadal at Wimbledon, which the Spaniard avenged five years later.
Sad to see it end this way @RafaelNadal. Thank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Champion… https://t.co/Hlevcxuc6d
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 1657218221000 The Australian cruised through his last eight matches against unseeded Chilean Cristian Garin in straight sets to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Kyrgios’ tournament was characterized by breathtaking strokes, but also by his familiar on-court shenanigans – including a demand that Tsitsipas be kicked out of the championship for hitting a ball into the crowd. The 40th-ranked player was fined a total of $14,000 and now has the added distraction of an upcoming court appearance in Australia on an assault charge. But he said he was proud to have made it this far at Wimbledon. “Obviously I’ve had thoughts over the last year, year and a half, about whether I want to play more – I’ve lost the love, I’ve lost the fire, I’ve lost the spark. “Then some things just changed in my life … I kind of just rediscovered that I had a lot of people that wanted me to play, that I was playing for. “I have plenty left in the tank. I feel I’m probably playing some of my best tennis, mentally I feel great.” Kyrgios, who has beaten Djokovic in both of their meetings, will fancy his chances against whoever he plays on Sunday. In the meantime, he must watch and wait.
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