Wimbledon Final 2022: Six-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic stormed past Cameron Norrie, the last remaining British hope, to reach his eighth final at the All England Championships. The Serbian beat his English counterpart in three sets after losing the first with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 scoreline.
But the win did not come easily for Djoker, as he was heckled by the partisan crowd. As he was serving for the match, a voice from the crowd screamed out at the Serbian ace before Djokovic, ever the showman, celebrated in front of the home crowd, after seeing out the game — blowing kisses toward the “hostile” fans.
Djokovic’s gimmick, however, wasn’t perceived well and the crowd drowned him in a barrage of boos. The Serb refrained from addressing the incident in his post-match interviews as he praised youngster Norrie’s career-best grand slam run.
“I didn’t start off well. He was the better player for the first set,” said Djokovic.
“Cameron didn’t have much to lose. He’s playing probably the tournament of his life. I wish him all the best, he’s a great player, I have a lot of respect for him.”
Djokovic will take on maverick Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who progressed to the final following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal due to injury. The duo has met each other twice before, with the Australian prevailing on both occasions — at Indian Wells (2017) and Acapulco (2017). Both times, Kyrgios won without dropping a set or serve.
But 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic will begin the Wimbledon final with a clear edge due to his big-match experience over the Australian, who will contest his first major final. Djokovic has the opportunity to equal Pete Sampras’ record of seven Wimbledon titles if he beats Kyrgios on Sunday. Only Swiss ace Roger Federer, with eight titles, has more titles at Wimbledon in the men’s game.