Novak Djokovic beats Kevin Anderson (6-2, 6-2, 7-6 [7])
Many of the fans who watched the semi-finals and saw the Wimbledon results knew that this was bound to happen one way or another.
The odds were just too much for Kevin Anderson to overcome on his own. He just endured two incredibly tough games to reach his first Wimbledon final at the young age of 32. After going through six hours and 36 minutes of hell, it would’ve been nice for the South African star to at least get a fighting chance for the final.
However, it was too tough a task to overcome a Joker that wasn’t smiling.
Novak Djokovic took advantage of the fact that Anderson toiled through two difficult matches to snag his fourth Wimbledon title. His serves were just too good for a man whose legs are half-dead to contend with.
However, there was one noticeable difference in his attitude when he won his latest Grand Slam. Compared to his previous triumphs, the All English Club saw the Joker.
He was deadly. He was meticulous. He was pouncing on every opportunity to get one up on his opponent. And he didn’t forget to let the English crowd know that he’s back.
Highlights of the game
Keeping up with the trend, the final of the Gentlemen’s Singles saw another royal pair making their appearance known to the crowd. Both Prince William and Duchess Kate honoured the two athletes who both had to battle through tough opposition in order to play in front of them. There were also a good number of notable celebrities and politicians present at the Wimbledon final.
There were also a good number of ecstatic Anderson fans at Center Court, proudly waving the flag and egging the tired Anderson to his first Grand Slam title. They know that the man is tired from successive tough battles with John Isner and Roger Federer, so their cheers hopefully help their star take the extra mile.
While Djokovic knew just how tired his opponent is, he doesn’t want to have a repeat of his semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal and was looking to kill the game quickly.
He wasted no time hitting serve after powerful serve, making Anderson run for every point. The tall power server didn’t have his usual power with him and struggled to even get the ball across. The games went by quickly as Djokovic kept on overpowering him. The first set ended in Djokovic’s favour, 6-2.
The crowd saw more of the same action when the second set resumed. Anderson tried his hardest to keep his serves, but it seemed that he wasn’t able to find his groove in this game. While he did win three net points, Djokovic just manhandled him with serves and forced him to run.
However, things quickly got sticky for Novak. Anderson suddenly found his groove. He started firing bullet serve after bullet serve down the middle. He started keeping his games. He hit his fastest service in the third set and returned to his old self: a powerful server with a strong backhand.
It almost seemed like Djokovic was bound to cede a set, and he almost lost it when his opponent got a set point at 5-4. However, he kept his calm and unleashed his fury at the crowd when he managed to take it to the tiebreak.
While Djokovic is still the heavy favourite during the tiebreak, he wouldn’t allow to cede a set and give his South African opponent a chance to regroup. He quickly killed the game there and took home the trophy.
Key statistics
The game lasted two hours and nineteen minutes thanks to Anderson’s third-set resurgence. However, it looked like Djokovic was bound for the quick sweep during the first two sets. The quickest Wimbledon men’s final win was in 1881, which was won by William Renshaw in only 36 minutes.
While it did seem that Djokovic easily crushed the South African, Anderson had an amazing third set. In the final frame of the tournament, he got seven aces and recorded a 138 MPH first serve. In comparison, the fastest serve he fired in the second set was 134 MPH.
Meanwhile, this victory finally ends Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam drought. The winless streak went on for eight Grand Slams, the second-longest of his career. The championship longest drought Nole endured in his career was 11 consecutive Grand Slam misses.
Djokovic really took advantage of Anderson’s tired legs: he made his opponent run 76.3 feet more and commit 19 more unforced errors throughout the match.
What’s next?
The game would return to the hard courts, and this is Anderson’s chance to shine. He made the US Open final last year and would love to finally win it this year.
Meanwhile, the mad Djokovic will look to finally add to his US Open haul of two trophies. He finds the most success in this Grand Slam: he made the final seven times between 2007 and 2016. He will want to keep his championship streak going and climb back up the ranks with another win here.
If you want to see more Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic updates, make sure to keep your eyes peeled at SBOBET Blog.
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