Wimbledon 2021 tennis - Dominant Novak Djokovic downs Denis Shapovalov to reach 30th Grand Slam final
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Updated 16/07/2021 at 07:53 GMT
World number one Novak Djokovic was utterly dominant and imperious as he cruised past a forlorn Denis Shapovalov on Centre Court to clinch a straight-sets win and secure his place in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. Djokovic only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match against the 10th seed and won through, 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5, in three tight sets during which he showed his class once more.
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Novak Djokovic was in typically dominant form as he brushed aside Denis Shapovalov to reach his 30th Grand Slam final as he eyes yet another title at Wimbledon.
The world number one is targeting a staggering 20th Grand Slam title at SW19 this fortnight to draw level with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and it would be a bold person to bet against him.
Djokovic, the top seed, will face Italy's Matteo Berrettini in Sunday's showpiece after the seventh seed defeated Hubert Hurkacz earlier on Friday afternoon.
While all three sets were closely-fought and Shapovalov threw absolutely everything he could at the Serb, the 34-year-old was simply too strong and held the competitive edge throughout.
The scoreline was certainly harsh on the talented Canadian, who left Centre Court in tears after seeing his dream run at Wimbledon ended in ruthless fashion despite such a punchy performance.
Djokovic won through in two hours and 44 minutes, which demonstrates just how tough all three sets were for the world number one. But ultimately he was just too ruthless and clinical when it really mattered.
Remarkably, he only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match as he secured his place in the final with his 20th victory in Grand Slam encounters this year.
"I don't think the scoreline says enough about the performance or the match," Djokovic said in his on-court interview. "He was serving for the first set and was probably the better player, had many chances.
"I would like to give him a big round of applause for everything he has done today and also this two weeks. We are going to see a lot of him in the future, he is a great player.
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Novak Djokovic
Image credit: Getty Images
"The most special tournament in the world for me, on this court, and there is no holding back. Once you step out, particularly at the latter stages of an event I dream of winning and the dream keeps going.
"I am trying to take out the maximum of my own abilities each match and see what happens. At this stage of my career, Grand Slams are everything and I have been very privileged to make history in the sport I truly love.
"Every time I hear there is something on the line that is historic it inspires me but at the same time I have to balance it and win only the next match."
The Australian Open and French Open champion earlier this year has been heavily backed to continue his incredible form this season as he aims to draw level with Federer and Nadal on 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
The defending champion certainly appears set to make it three Grand Slams out of three this year if he can continue the way he has been playing at the tournament in the final stages.
While his opponent on Sunday, Berrettini, is the first Italian to reach the men's singles final at Wimbledon, Djokovic will be aiming to clinch his sixth title and retain his crown from 2019 when he defeated Federer in a famous final.
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Watch daily evening highlights of all the best action from Wimbledon on Eurosport 1, plus the men's and women's finals live on Eurosport 2. All coverage is also available to stream via eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.
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