Djokovic Wimbledon Win Over Berdych Sets Up Semifinal Encounter With del Potro
After winning his match against Tomas Berdych on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic still has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon. Although Berdych took a 3-0 lead in the second set, he was still defeated by Djokovic, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3. The top-seeded Djokovic’s win sets up a semifinal match against the eighth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro who defeated the fourth-seeded David Ferrer, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(7-5). Del Potro had a brief scare during the match when he fell to the ground after hurting his knee, but still managed to recover swiftly, but advanced to his first Wimbledon semifinal.
Neither Djokovic nor del Potro have dropped a set at Wimbledon this year. This will be Djokovic’s 13th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, where he is looking to win his seventh major title. Del Potro is 3-8 lifetime against Djokovic, and he has only won one major tournament—the U.S. Open in 2009.
"Generally, it was a very close match and that’s what I expected," said Djokovic. "Tomas is a very powerful player. We went toe-to-toe in the first set and one shot decided a first set winner. That was important for me to get the set advantage. Even though I started poorly in the second, I still felt quite good on the court. [I’m] just really glad to win in three."
Djokovic defeated del Potro last year in the Olympic bronze-medal match, and earlier this year on hard court in Indian Wells, Calif. Del Potro will receive medical treatment for his knee, and he will still be playing in the semifinals.
"I will need to be 100 percent or 110 percent against him. He’s the number one. He’s a former champion here," said del Potro of his semifinals opponent Djokovic. "It’s going to be a more difficult match for me like today. But if I’m okay, if I do everything good to be ready for my next match, I will be excited to play against him. I remember the match during the Olympics last year on the same surface. But this time the pressure is different. I will try to be ready and do my best."
