Novak Djokovic wasn’t at his best against Marin Cilic in the quarterfinal, and it almost had him crashing out of Wimbledon. The World No. 2 recovered in the nick of time, but he’ll need to bring his A-game from the start against this year’s surprise package, Grigor Dimitrov.
Dimitrov is coming off a straight-sets demolition of defending champion Andy Murray, and will have no fear going up against the Wimbledon top seed, Djokovic.
Will “Baby Fed” meet the all-grown-up Federer in the final? Check out our preview of the Roger Federer versus Milos Raonic semifinal here, and read on for more on this Central European Wimbledon showdown.
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Novak Djokovic vs. Grigor Dimitrov, 2014 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Semifinal Match Preview
Where: Centre Court, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, London
Novak Djokovic was given a brief scare by Marin Cilic in their Wimbledon quarterfinal clash. Djokovic found himself down two sets to one over the Croatian, but the 2011 champion rallied to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-2. Djokovic has now reached the semifinal of Wimbledon for five straight years.
[sc:Other240banner ]The World No. 2 was far from his best against Cilic. He recorded just 32 winners against 32 unforced errors. But he was still able to win 44% of his receiving points, which helped him break Clilic’s serve seven times. Djokovic’s return game has served him well thus far in Wimbledon. He’s broken opponents’ serves six times on three occasions, and has won close to 50% of receiving points twice.
Djokovic’s ability to break opponents’ serves will be a key weapon against Dimitrov, whose service game has been sharp in this tournament. Djokovic has broken Dimitrov 15 times in four career meetings, seven of which came during their French Open clash last year. Djokovic won in straight sets.
Djokovic is 3-1 in those meetings against Dimitrov, and has dropped just one set, which came in a tiebreaker.
Betting on Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov just keeps rolling along in jolly ol’ England. After emerging victorious in the Queen’s Club Championship, Dimitrov has now reached the semifinal of Wimbledon after his shock victory over defending champion Andy Murray in the quarterfinal. Dimitrov is now on a ten-match winning streak in England.
The big shock came in Dimitrov’s manner of victory. “Baby Fed” pulled off a performance reminiscent of Roger Federer himself with a dominant straight sets victory, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2, over Murray, who had been on an 18-match winning run at the All England Club.
Dimitrov’s service game has been well on point during his run to the semifinal. The Bulgarian’s serve was broken just once in 14 games against Murray; he’s now won 77 of 80 service games for the tournament.
And while the champion dug himself a hole with 37 unforced errors, the 23-year old Dimitrov committed just 18. It’s the fourth time in five matches he’s committed 18 or fewer errors. If Dimitrov is going to lose to Djokovic, expect the Bulgarian not to beat himself in the process.
Writer’s Prediction
Take the underdog Dimitrov (+300) to continue his remarkable Wimbledon run as he takes out the top-seeded Djokovic in five sets. Create a betting account and have your say on whether this Wimbledon Cinderella story continues.
