"We hope it will be a good match and that Italy can only win in the evening ...": Novak Djokovic plays down with a joke, in an interview with Sky, tomorrow's match which at 15, on the central court of Wimbledon, will see him opposed to Matteo Berrettini, the first Italian to reach such a milestone, in his first career slam final. "It is the first final for a slam for him - says Djokovic - the thirtieth for me, I hope that experience can help me, but he is playing the best tennis of his career, he has one of the best services in the world".
And
'the obstacle Novak Djokovic on Sunday will face Matthew hats in the final at Wimbledon.
The Serbian, number one in the world and on the tournament draw, beat Canadian Shapovalov in three very tight sets (7-6, 7-5, 7-5). Djokovic will play his thirtieth final in a grand slam tournament against the Italian player on Sunday and will hunt for his twentieth title in the four major tournaments, as well as his sixth at Wimbledon
"Congratulations to Matteo Berrettini, on Sunday everyone with their hearts in Wimbledon and Wembley, Italy!". So Roberto Mancini, on twitter, applauds the Roman tennis player who won the final of the London tennis tournament, which will be played on the same day as the final of the Italian football team against England, for Euro 2020. Wimbledon and Wembley are just a short distance away. less than 15 kilometers in Greater London and Sunday will be the center of the world, a dream place, certainly for Italian sport. The final of the Grand Slam tournament will see an Italian player, Matteo Berrettini, on the pitch for the first time in history, and that of
Euro 2020, with Italy facing England
to win a title that has been missing since 1968.
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Berrettini: 'Final at Wimbledon not even in a dream'
Matteo Berrettini dominated the game for long stretches, thanks above all to his deadly serve (22 aces), which never yielded to his opponent.
The Pole tried to resist in the first few games, then the blue spread, winning 11 games in a row, and winning the second set with a sharp 6-0.
In the third set, however, Hurkacz was good at reacting: he began to serve better and go up to the net continuously: the third set ended at a tie-break, in which the Pole won thanks to a couple of mistakes by Berrettini.
In the fourth, however, the Italian managed to snatch the opening serve from his opponent, then he administered the rest of the set with a perfect serve.
"Sunday will be a great day, I hope I will go even better: I carry the flag of Italy with me, I have to believe it". These are the first words from Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. He said it on the Wimbledon center court at the end of the match with Hurkacz. "I would never have dreamed of such a thing, because it is too big a dream and yet there are. And there are no other words." Matteo Berrettini said this, referring to the victory in the semifinal that opened the doors of the Wimbledon final, the first Italian in history. "I have no words - he said at the end of the match - I will need a couple of hours to understand what happened, I played a great game, my family has arrived, the whole team is there.When you play at these levels I try to be at my best from a mental, physical, tactical, technical point of view, I thought I would win the third set and I lost it, I said to myself: you have to react and the reaction has arrived. "Berrettini he also recalled his first match on the central court at Wimbledon, which he lost to Federer. "That match - he said - helped me get back here today. Now I'll watch the other semifinal, but now I need a day off. "but now I need a day off. "but now I need a day off. "
Berrettini makes history
Berrettini's path at Wimbledon was imperial: only three sets lost, always master of every match. On Sunday, however, against the world number one, it will obviously be a whole other story. For the first time he will not be the favorite: if only because Berrettini is in his first final of a grand slam tournament, while Djokovic has played 29 and won 19 (five at Wimbledon), two of which in 2021 therefore with the possibility still open to complete the quadruple Grand Slam crown in the same year, a feat that no one has been able to do for more than half a century, or since Rod Laver's magical 1969. If what we have seen so far at Wimbledon was the strongest Berrettini ever, lucid, precise, solid, strong and ruthless,to undermine the throne of Djokovic (who not without difficulty beat the Canadian Denis Shapovalov in three very tight sets, 7-6, 7-5, 7-5) will need an even better one. And for Italy it will be the first dish of a Sunday in search of glory, at least in sport.
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Djokovic chasing the sixth title at Wimbledon