Tennis matches almost invariably seem to unfold according to Novak Djokovic’s mood and will, and for the most part this was another of them. Yet, as the defending champion moved a step closer to a third consecutive Wimbledon title with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over the unseeded Marton Fucsovics, he demonstrated once again that the greatest threat to his assault on the record books – perhaps the only threat – may just be himself. After an early passage of play that touched perfection, Djokovic inexplicably went walkabout, losing three successive games. He quickly steadied the ship and was always in control thereafter, but one of these days a lapse of this kind – and there were also a couple at the French Open – could just prove costly.
That, at least, is one of the few available straws at which his opponents can clutch after a victory that carried Djokovic to the 10th Wimbledon semi-final of his career, just two wins short of the third leg of a potential grand slam. The 48th-ranked Fucsovics, the first Hungarian to reach the last eight at Wimbledon since Zsuzsa Kormoczy in 1958, fought manfully to keep pace with the Serb and showed impressive resilience to bounce back from an error-strewn start, but was undone by a welter of forehand errors and an opponent who, as ever, raised his game at all the right moments.
“I think it was a solid performance,” reflected Djokovic. “I started off extremely well, I didn’t make too many things wrong in my game in the first six games of the match. I managed to close it out at 5-3. I guess one break of serve in the second and third set was enough to clinch the victory today. Credit to Marton for fighting, for hanging in there; he had a great tournament, so well done to him.
“I love this sport with all my heart and body and soul. I have been devoted to this sport since I was four, and sometimes things do look surreal for me. But I try to live in the moment, [not] take anything for granted and be grateful for every opportunity that I have on the court. Going for history is a huge inspiration for me.”
Fucsovics topped the world rankings as a junior, winning the boys’ singles at the US Open in 2009 and, a year later, junior Wimbledon. His career has not quite lived up to that early promise, but last year the Hungarian enjoyed his finest season to date, reaching the last 16 at the Australian and French Opens and the third round at Flushing Meadows. His run at the All England Club, which included wins over a trio of seeds in Jannik Sinner, Diego Schwartzman and world No 7 Andrey Rublev, has eclipsed even those achievements. Asked what he expected of his first grand slam quarter-final appearance, Fucsovics quipped: “A very good match, since Djokovic and I were both Wimbledon champions.”
It took Djokovic precisely 18 minutes to alter his opponent’s mood. By that time, Fucsovics found himself 5-0 down and contemplating a first-set whitewash. It was indicative of the gravity of his plight that, when he struck a forehand winner to move 30-15 ahead on his serve, the Centre Court crowd responded with rapturous applause, eliciting a melancholy smile from the Hungarian. Fucsovics likes to build his points from the back of the court, but rallying with Djokovic is a perilous business at the best of times. A flurry of unforced errors from the challenger did as little to help his cause as Djokovic’s frequent recourse to one-handed sliced backhands, which caused Fucsovics all manner of problems as he struggled to dig out balls from around his shoelaces.
Having flirted with perfection, however, Djokovic abruptly went off the boil, spraying balls beyond the lines, falling off his shots, and dropping his serve for only the fourth time in the tournament. Perhaps the Serb’s confidence in his movement had been undermined by a heavy fall in the same area of the Centre Court surface that had done for Serena Williams in the opening round; perhaps he had simply lost concentration amid the apparent ease of it all. Whatever the explanation, by the time Djokovic emerged from his funk to convert his sixth set point, Fucsovics had three games on the scoreboard and a firmer foothold in the match.
Now Fucsovics came alive, serving with authority, striking his groundstrokes with conviction and even moving into the forecourt when the opportunity arose. Through it all, however, there was a nagging sense that Djokovic was simply biding his time. The Serb finally made his move in the ninth game, breaking before serving out the set with a roar. There was another triumphant bellow when Djokovic, having broken in the opening game of the third set, recovered from 0-40 down to consolidate the advantage. Fucsovics continued to battle gamely, but Djokovic was not to be denied his 41st grand slam semi-final.
Djokovic will face Denis Shapovalov in the last four after the 10th-seeded Canadian recovered from two sets to one down to edge out Karen Khachanov of Russia, the 25th seed, 6-4, 3-6 5-7 6-1 6-4. “Novak’s the best player in the world, but anything’s possible,” said Shapovalov, who struck 59 winners en route to his first major semi-final.