Djokovic vs. Norrie Wimbledon 2022 SF | Post-Match

[@miljanmaletic1000]

Djokovic said to Serbian media he wasn't feeling well, physically or mentally (not as an injury from what I can tell, just general discomfort) and these kinds of matches you just have to survive. He also said he noticed Cam's spirit drop after the break in the third set, so he pressed after that. About Nick: I noticed him concentrate more compare to his usual self... Experience isn't a factor against dynamic players like Nick.... Then some kind words for him because he defended Novak when it was hardest to do so. About the crowd (boos for Nick when his name is mentioned): I don't know what the crowd will be like, but I am prepairing for the worst as has unfotunately been the norm in my career. Can't wait for Three and final preview!

[@ThatGooner]

Great breakdown as always. Re all the Norrie stuff: I completely agree that calming play down and testing out Novak's shot tolerance (even late on when Novak was still misfiring) could've done him a world of good. One of those days for him where nerves get the better of him and it leaks into his FH timing and general execution, to the point where his cross-court shot is just absent of any consistency in placement, let alone conviction. This then hurts his clarity of thought to construct points, so there were only a very small handful of instances where he used his BH and FH to stretch the space and break Novak down. What doesn't help, of course, is that is that he's more than aware of the shot's limitations on grass, in the way it sits up for opponents sort of like his BH does on clay. So, even though playing the weaker cross-court shot is something I desperately wanted to see him use to build some rhythm and confidence into his shot-making, it was no doubt something he was scared of. That's not just because the dtl ball is hard to recover from on grass, but also because his FH lets up vs pace, so a % BH drilled across could lead to far easier opportunities for Novak to close out the point compared to the deuce-sided trades. Without either the consistency or confidence of that approach, he was really left thinking that being aggressive was the way to feel on top, which is how he handed Novak easy holds by making UEs where he went for too much in rallies that he'd done well to neutralise in the first place. It all kind of snowballs from there for him, from the execution of his BH to reading what kind of state his opponent is in at the same time (which was still exploitable, even if Novak would've eventually upped his gears along with Cam to close it out). Never saw the same sort of freedom and confidence to Cam's hitting(/FH) that we saw vs Tommy Paul after he finally broke past the 3R, but that's all I hoped for from this tournament, so the experiences in the QFs & SFs are real bonus learning experiences.

[@sweetylun]

You are the best 🎾 tennis analyst on KZbin or any other platforms hands down

[@piqueblinders7948]

I thought this was a poor match in what has been a very low quality Championships. Credit to Djokovic for cutting the errors out in sets 3 and 4 after such a dire start. He still pushes a lot in rallies though, no real offence or initiative. Norrie meanwhile has a lot to learn on grass: he was super uncomfortable with approach shots, hitting them central a lot, and he missed lots of easy smashes and volleys. Djokovic looks like a shadow of the player we saw a couple of years ago but I think he will easily win the tournament as Kyrgios will implode. Perhaps it's fitting that this has been such a forgettable Wimbledon considering its controversy with ranking points and the Russian players, idk.

[@ermannogiusti2386]

Aahahahahah it's kinda comical that the narrative of Djokovic being a mere pusher still exists

[@J.O.R_BR_Overclocking]

This was the worst match I have seen Norrie play all year.

[@piqueblinders7948]

​@@ermannogiusti2386 have you actually been watching his matches? The guy is not playing much offensive rally tennis at this tournament. He was way more aggressive and dominant from the baseline in Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019. Now most of the time he is waiting for UEs from the opponent, and it's why he lost the first 2 sets against Sinner on Wednesday, because Sinner had higher rally tolerance and wasn't making errors. Djokovic was hitting way bigger groundstrokes at Rome this year

[@sj4632]

Roland garros was low quality as well.

[@Alex-rj8ns]

Guys guys guys, please, have a mercy on Djokovic and Nadal, they are old, you are maybe even right in a way, but we really can not expect them to play like they did when they were younger. At their age of 35,36 nobody in history of the game didn't play perfect, neither did anybody won many gs after that age. Even if we are still looking at them as superhumans sometimes, they really are not, they are humans like you and me, you can't always play brilliant tennis, you must have a bad day in the office sometimes, and thats what Novak had today. We like to think Novak is still in his prime, he really is not, 35 yo is still very old in tennis terms. They are normal people like we are, they are just the greatest ever in what they do, and thats why they still manage to win, not easy, but win. Life is not a video game, would be perfect if Novak could every day play his very best and win 3 0, but its not easy in real life, other guys are good too, they train whole freakin day, every day and they are 10 years younger than him. Coaches and players spend their whole careers making tactics against him and Nadal and still without much success. They ruined careers of 3 generations of players. Go watch Djokovic and Nadal play each other in 2006 RG quarter finals, thats 16 years ago. Do you realise what type of longevity is that? You need to respect that.

[@mflibertine]

Great analysis as always, you and 3 are the best tennis forum/analysis experts. I really enjoy everything you do. Thank you man. Keep the good work up!

[@tehatte]

A lot of people here don’t have respect for Norrie but need to learn more about him to respect him. He doesn’t have the best technique for sure, and he knows that. He’s a Brit but needed to go thru college tennis in the US to improve his game. How many out of thousands of players come out of US college tennis become a successful pro? Very few. Norrie had to train so hard to improve his physical aspects of the game to make up for his technique. So for him to climb up the ranking and got deep in recent big tournaments is something that we all need to admire.

[@haydengarinduchesne9269]

He just can’t seem to relax in big matches early on these days his atrocious starts to three of the 4 sets against nadal at the French , he was so tight in the us open final he could barely speak , completely blew the first set in the last Wimbledon final , it’s almost like he needs an hour to warm up sometimes , when he relaxes he’s fine but he’s super tight early on these days . He seems to be pushing the ball a lot you can’t really do that on grass because defending on the faster lower bouncing surface is the hardest to defend on.

[@writer684]

he plays for history all the time ......

[@grimson]

All true, but he won easily in the end. There are only a few players who can punish him for a bad start in best of five.

[@johnj1573]

@@grimson krygios is one of them he does not fear the goats like the next Gen.

[@bpraise517]

I feel like Djokovic creates an enemy like Micheal Jordan & Kobe when down 1set or 2 sets...or a loud fan to get fired up vs lesser players

[@notturno3448]

Spot on Gill! Thank you :)

[@idc9053]

Yup, Gill, good observations. Cam tried to play the way he usually doesn't. Also, it’s kinda sad that nowadays when Novak is playing badly, he is playing like really, really badly. Age, I guess. But yeah, either way Novak needs to raise his level *so much* in the final. No way he can win playing like that, the depth of the shots was horrendous at times, as well as return... After not being able to read Norrie's serve, I'm really interested how he handles Kyrgios’ serve, I remember he said a few times that his serve is one of the best on the tour, and one of the toughest to read. So yeah, immense pressure on Nole to get that #21, but man, if he starts next match so tight, Kyrgios will be there to take it.

[@Ttjam1]

Why is it sad? He still wins the matches. Sad is going out 6-0 in the third set like Fed did last year. Once Novak starts playing badly at the end of matches instead of the beginning that will be the beginning of the end for him.

[@idc9053]

@@Ttjam1 Nah, I meant in general that his bad/below average level isn't as good as it was anymore. Like it's logicial, obviously, but it's still sad, because I think everybody got used to certain standards from him, even if he doesn't play his best/usual level.

[@johnj1573]

@@idc9053 krygios will hit 135 mph bombs and huge second serves he hit 24 aces in two sets when they played at the Mexico open. Novak will need to start faster and return way better

[@joshforde698]

Worrying trend for Djokovic and Djokovic fans is his extremely sluggish starts in majors over the last couple of years. All three Nadal matches at Roland Garros since 2020, Medvedev at the US Open, Sinner and Norrie at this Wimbledon. It hasn't always caught up with him, but it will start to do so more the older he gets.

[@masterboytothemax1599]

It will not. The competition is weak. I wish Federer could play in these times.

[@jameshale9901]

He was great from start to finish against rafa in 2020 rafa was just Rafa on at rg but even better somehow

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

@@masterboytothemax1599 Way Weaker than Federer's 2004-2007 competition.

[@masterboytothemax1599]

@@jeffreykaufmann2867 that was weak, but not as bad as it is now considering the advancement of technology. This Wimbledon is horrible.

[@masterboytothemax1599]

At his peak, Federer was better than Nadal and Djokovic.

[@baronessvondengler]

We went through a whole tournament never seeing Novak play his best tennis! He really keeps that stuff under wraps. Lolz.

[@yussepig6629]

He doesnt need to. Easiest draw since Wimbledon 2021

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

Novak is 35 years old . He can't play any better otherwise he would be doing it. He will further decline next year. The only Old player who can play at a very high level is Nadal on Clay.

[@jacobschmidt2709]

@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Roger Federer played pretty darn good as an old player as well.

[@M4DHUSKY]

First set was like 2nd set vs Tzitzipas on RG last year,like vs Musseti prior that.I can remember lots of time during last stage of his career Nole did that,beeing flat.Dunno why,but i think somethimes he can allow him self to regroup or make himself to fight harder.

[@niharshiplu]

Seems Novak and his team is betting a lot against him on popular gambling sites and winning big from there too! 😂😂😂No explanation of loosing the 1st set today so casually and then suddenly found his mojjo back in 2nd set itself!Very Fishy!ATP should look into those blips seriously

[@M4DHUSKY]

@@niharshiplu I think you should stop betting ,cus house always win .

[@madhukiranattivilli2321]

This match is the proof why Roger should never think of retiring

[@shawnberry9335]

Roger can find bagels in Basel.

[@madhukiranattivilli2321]

@@shawnberry9335 Looks like u don't like Roger

[@guruk]

@@madhukiranattivilli2321 there is always a hubi or a kyrgi lurking for him madhu. Rafa and nole arenot winning with their skills. They are winning bcoz of their mentality. Roger aint in that league. He will have to either 1. Pass through rafa in RG and USO 2. Pass through nole in all 4 slams 3. Withhold some redlining next gens and current gen on a given day 4. Overcome his own mental barrier 5. Or pray for a good draw or both rafa and nole to be out before he faces them. So.. Better he enjoy fsther time now.. Wat say!? life aint just about tennis, its much more beyond that. Aint it!? He has earned it 🙂😇

[@madhukiranattivilli2321]

@@guruk But, I didn't say about Roger "winning grand slams"... I said about "not retiring"... can't expect him to win majors at his age... good if it happens Today's Norrie v Novak match was boring and low quality for a wimbledon semi finals. I'll happily watch a Roger losing match than such ones It has been once again proved that big3 are distant apart from the rest especially on grass

[@kajjebre]

Roger is history and already 3rd on goat list

[@stefcon2000]

The way Novak has been playing, I don't know if I can bet on him winning the final. His slow starts are becoming a kind of a habit, and with a server like Kyrgios every mistake counts. If he starts the same way he did with Sinner, it will be a lot harder to come back, and if it goes to a tie break in any set, he can easily lose the whole thing. I hope for the best, but we will see

[@michaelespinosa9168]

Nick has the same chance of winning as I do of winning the Powerball megabucks jackpot. So yes there is a chance.

[@OOCSB72]

Gill everyone is saying you're Ugandan again... its not just me.

[@djfunkychicken]

Of late Novak seems to begin matches very passively.. finding range and waits for the sway to come his way. Almost like he feels the needs to learn the opponents groove before taking any action. So blank in expression while this goes on too

[@z1az285]

Man, this final will be so unpredictable in large part due to kyrgios. I wonder what sort of advice Lleyton will impart to him. I'm sure he is going to reach out but on a given day kyrgios can blow anyone off the court. But novak served exceptionally well and key question, how will kyrgios return his serve?

[@abbiem5357]

Djokovic getting into a habit of slow starts...just nobody is good enough to keep up the pressure (even if Djoko improves). Norrie's forehand spraying errors after the 1st set and THAT missed volley...ouch. it's such a shame about lack of Nadal...a Nadal/Djoko final could have saved what has admittedly felt like an average overall Wimbledon.

[@EndaCherimoya]

Norrie has the most awkward technique, it's hard to watch

[@seadkurbasic9726]

Soon Wimledon number 7.

[@bpraise517]

Norrie, has no weapons...I felt Djokovic sleep walked through that 1st set...the below avg Norrie backhand with zero pace....it took a minute then Boom 💥 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

[@niharshiplu]

Norrie is an average player,thats it..He is probably not going to win any GS in his Career.Once Novak upped his game,It's game over for Norrie.Period.Novak was just playing too casual in the 1st set which is highly unusual by his standard.

[@chrleschan8790]

wow.. #12 in the world is an average player! would love to see you on court against him.

[@niharshiplu]

@@chrleschan8790 seems like a die hard Norrie fan!!The Problem is for winning a GS he needs to play against the likes of Novak,Nadal and not me!!Yes,he is an average player for sure 😂😂😂

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

Probably not going to win a slam ? Probably ???? If Norrie wins a slam ,i ll never watch tennis again.. This guy is the worst top 15 player ever..

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

@@chrleschan8790 yes..average ..go amd follow some other sport man.. Norrie is even below average..

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

Its pretty easy to beat Norrie: Just keep the ball in the court and wait for the Unforced Errors.

[@danieljoseph255]

What’s a cam?

[@tennistimetiborhunyadi3934]

Cam = Cameron. Name of the semi final protagonist of the match analysed by the one and only Gill Gross.

[@hih5868]

Norrie terrible after 1st set. What a joke for djoker

[@rishabhaniket1952]

Novak has won 3 Wimbledon finals defending against a super aggressive Fed, why would anyone adapt this strategy unless they think they are better than Fed.

[@profoundgreetingsfromneptune]

Being a Djokovic fan is getting to be so exhausting these days. His slow starts are killing me. Eventually, they're going to catch up with him, perhaps sooner rather than later, perhaps as soon as Sunday. He can't afford to do that against Kyrgios.

[@johnj1573]

He’s decline quite a bit he’s 35 so the slow starts are going to keep happening. I 100% agree he needs a fast start against krygios. Kyrgios does not fear the goats like the next Gen do.

[@profoundgreetingsfromneptune]

@@johnj1573 Great point about him not fearing the GOATS like the Next Genners do.

[@kajjebre]

If nick starts serving bad he’ll have nothing to hang on. Then he will lose it and implode. Nick is easily distracted

[@80sruler]

Novak comes out flat ?? That would be about every match - never seems to matter much other than get the commentators all lathered up

[@Dontchataboutit]

Gill, I normally love your analysis, but saying a better strategy would've been for Norrie to see if "Novak can beat normal Cam" is ridiculous, of course novak would beat standard cam norrie because novak is the best of all time. Norrie's only chance was to play the best tennis of his life or for djokovic to play terribly. it sounds like you are saying he should have planned for novak to play terrible tennis, because only then would cam norrie win playing his usual game

[@djoleluk]

Sorry, but Norrie is a joke compared to Novak. Good player, but more like at 500 level tournaments. Kyrgios is much serious prospect, it should be fun.

[@buzzfunk]

100% agree with this.

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

Norrie is terrible..shame for tennis he is in the semis.. Novak would beat him even without strings on his racquet..

[@NopeP]

Novak played well in the third and 4th sets, but but but...I can't help but feel its because Norrie started making poor decisions, and Norrie's ball striking went completely off. Especially his 1st serve. Novak will have to play a lot better to beat Kyrgios, if he starts slow like he did vs Norrie, Kyrgios is going to kill him. That serve and +1 game from Kyrgios has been incredible this wimbledon. Honestly I'm picking Kyrgios in 4, set one and 2 Kyrgios, 3rd set Novak, 4th set Kyrgios wins in a tie break. Novak has started slow in all his matches at wimbledon this year, and Kyrgios is a guy who can blitz through service games in 30 seconds. Now if Novak starts at his best then its a 5 set match for sure, but based on how he's been this year, I'm going Kyrgios in 4. May the best man win Novak #21/ Kyrgios #1. If Kyrgios had to play Nadal and it was tight then, I might think fatigue could play a part. But Nick will have 4 days off, he'll be fresh for the final.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

Nadal's decision to retire is his best chance of keeping a two slam lead over Novak.

[@NopeP]

@@jeffreykaufmann2867 Yeah especially with that injury.

[@angelmatos9143]

No amount of analysis will explain an inferior opponent.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

It looks like Novak at age 35+ will be slowing down quicker then Nadal at 35+. I can't see Novak at 36 years old winning Wimbledon next year in straight easy Sets like Nadal did at 2022 French Open.

[@J.O.R_BR_Overclocking]

Norrie “let me play Novak like I play every other player in the game and see if it pans out”. Yeah doesn’t work that way bubba.

[@KarmaticEvolution]

It seems Gill was saying the opposite happened today. See 15:35

[@AlphaDraconis7]

Djokovic was like a 5.5/10 and he basically won quite comfortably 😂

[@miketomlin6040]

Did you watch the game , Tolkein, he did the opposite went for winners, not rallies, Norrie did not play his usual game.

[@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266]

@@miketomlin6040 Nole was trying to close early to save his energy for the final.

[@J.O.R_BR_Overclocking]

@@miketomlin6040 I did, he was not trying to hit winners lol, he was just flat out missing balls. Loss complete concentration after missing that easy volley.

[@johnnywinfield3809]

my Ugandan brother

[@420benton2]

I hope Kate Middleton has to present the trophy to Rybakina formerly of Russia!! That's the whole reason Russian players were banned LOL 😂

[@miketomlin6040]

I can understand Norrie's tactics, he either tries to hit him off court, which sort of worked in the 1st set, or he gets into 20 shot rallies. The latter was more Norrie's game but is he going to win against NoVaxx like this, over 5 sets, unlikely?

[@tvs2380]

you can see the ugandan coming through in this vid. still surprising to me that you are though. great vid tho ://

[@CoolAce1]

Tennis is a flawed sport for not having a good solution for when players withdraw. In this case it's not fair to Novak. And most likely if Nadal was healthy he would beat Kyrgios.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

What's unfair about Novak playing Kyrgios?

[@CoolAce1]

@@jeffreykaufmann2867 No I meant it's unfair that Kyrgios gets into the finals without having someone named Rafael Nadal. Novak now has to face a fresh Kyrgios while he had a very stressful match in the semi's. All the experts would have picked a Nadal to win if he was healthy. This is why I think there should be a system where a runner up would play if someone withdraws, even in early round matches. This would also give lower ranked players or players that just missed the cut a chance to compete. They do that in bowling and in baseball when the starting pitcher can't start, no big deal. I know baseball is a different type of sport.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

@@CoolAce1 What does " Kyrgios gets into the finals without having someone named Nadal" mean? Its Novak's fault if he is too tired on Sunday cause he isn't playing very well.

[@indiabliss]

No guarantee Djokovic will play in the US Open - why?

[@D.D.T.e.C.h.]

He is not welcome to USA because Nole is not vaccinated.

[@johnj1573]

He’s not non US citizens have to he vaccinated to enter the country

[@Kororia111]

No surprise Novak thru to the final.

[@fufycaz78]

Does Novak lose sets on purpose? Because he's like, bored? To feel more thrill?

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

Norrie..the worst top 15 player ever..ever.. Its a shame for tennis ,he is in the semis of a slam.. P.s. Novak beats him even without strings on his racquet..

[@lukekaehne9091]

January 2022: An unvaccinated Djokovic looking to make the history books and crush every Non Joker Big 3 fans dreams, enters Australia but is denied entry. He is stuck in a detention for a weekend while Australia sent him to court. They have a first court case which Djokovic won before Australia sent him to court again, Australia finally deports him. He goes back to Serbia. Djokovic: "I never want to face Australia again and it is unfair I got kicked out". It's fine I still have my tennis to fall back on." Australia while finds itself an unfamiliar ally, Nick Kygrios: "I don't feel like his treatment in Australia was needed," and now we enter Wimbledon, everyone Is expecting a DJOKOVIC vs NADAL final but the last thing Djokovic expected was to meet Australia, this time on the tennis court, to make matters worse, Kygrios has a 2-0 HTH over one of the three GOATS but Djokovic off the court is 1-1. This has become more that just Tennis, this is personal, this is career defining, it is going to be dangerous, there will be sweat, there will be blood, there will be tears, and this is going to be an epic on the biggest stage of Tennis. This blood feud will come to a head here, who will win. Welcome to Djokovic vs Australia The Grand Finale.

[@buzzfunk]

What a sad match. Norrie is so overrated. His movements are so ridiculous overdone. If id be his trainer, first thing id do is remove the excess movement. Djoker looked bored. I cant figure out why he is so unlikeable. I just dont care for Djoker. Never have. I do think that grass is Novaks best surface. Just thinking how that semi with a healthy Nadal would have gone. Too bad. Overall - I kinda hope now Nick wins.

[@jimchurchill5451]

Nick doesn't have the game to win against Novack.

[@buzzfunk]

@@jimchurchill5451 well their record shows otherwise :)

[@jimchurchill5451]

@@buzzfunk Novack is desperate to surpass nadel in grand slams.

[@seadkapic4768]

@@jimchurchill5451 Nadal is desperate to make bigger lead over djokovic but its not working. 21-22

[@leslie535]

First!

[@shawnberry9335]

Good job

[@ayanda5991]

There's your medal 🥇

[@lsb9073]

To think that his 7th & likely 8th Wimbys are going to count as Federer's did breaks my heart. Fed might have got lucky in the F in 17 with Marin crippled by blisters, but he had been excelling prior to Wimby, even while not winning everything he entered and showing his vulnerabilities at 36 yo too. He won the Championship w/out dropping a set - unlike Novak who is turning dropping sets into a lifestyle choice these days - and beating a peak Grigor who was having his last excellent year, ditto Raonic who had df him the previous year & reached the F, and Berdych before facing Cilic who was still being touted as a favourite for the Final 5 yrs later! That same year he was beating Slam Winners - Wawrinka, del Potro, Nadal as well as Zverev b4 his service yips showed up, Nick Kyrgios at the height of his powers, Goffin having his best year ever, a back in-form Nishikori - and many of these afore-mentioned multiple times, incl Rafa - also back to a high level that year, Kyrgios, Zverev & Berdych. To think that Djoker's 7th Wimby is going to rank on a par with Roger's 7th, or going by similar age his 8th, is just a freaking joke. And this is how he will surpass the Great Roger Federer. Defeating Cam bloody Norrie, TVR, Sinner. First timers, all of them, playing Wimby - and even any Slam, at the stage they reached here. It hurts.

[@shawnberry9335]

Novak Djokovic won 3 Wimbledon finals against Roger Federer.

[@utkarshdeshmukh6414]

Oh right. And Federer's record doesn't speak volumes? Roger has reached 31 GS finals. His record is 16/17 against other and 4/14 when he's player Novak or Rafa. Talk about easy routes to slam wins 😂

[@guruk]

Fedtards still defending their man 🤔🤦‍♂️

[@marekwichniarek268]

Hypocrites always get hurt so easily. And write long essays full of moaning.

[@mavric1853]

@@utkarshdeshmukh6414 jop. And Kyrgios is still harder than Baghdatis, Philippoussis or whoever else Federer played in GS finals.

[@chocosquirrel3319]

Hey gilly Bob make a vedio on how this slam doesn't count this year as there are no rankings and players from a whole country are banned. And how it's just like a exhibition title this year.

[@245cam]

It's still the most prestigious title of the year, casual tennis fans don't give af about no ranking points or no Medvedev

[@chocosquirrel3319]

@@245cam no one cares about casual fans who dont even know the game. The tennis feternity doesn't count this as slam. So its 22 rafa 20 novak Nick 0

[@245cam]

@@chocosquirrel3319 don't count AO22 then since they banned Novak

[@chocosquirrel3319]

@@245cam it doesn't matter if a player is banned especially because of his mistake. But a country being banned is something else

[@naysayer1238]

@@chocosquirrel3319 lol Nice try. Much larger asterisk next to Nadal for the AO than Novak for this, and you know it.