Novak Djokovic’s quest to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles is still very much alive after surviving big-hitting Kevin Anderson in a tension-filled fourth-round clash on Tuesday. The eight-time Grand Slam champion will look to book a place in the semifinals later today when he takes on the ever-dangerous Marin Cilic.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this quarterfinal matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our Wimbledon last-eight previews of Federer vs. Simon and Murray vs. Pospisil.
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Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic Betting Preview
Where: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon
[sc:Other240banner ]The defending champion secured his 25th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance with a hard-fought 6-7 (6), 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over Kevin Anderson on Court No. 1. The Serbian star completed the five-set win on Tuesday after the match was suspended at two sets apiece on Monday night due to poor visibility. He needed three hours and 47 minutes to finish off the 14th-seed Anderson.
Djokovic, who improved to 5-1 against Anderson, blasted 43 winners and won 74% (86/116) of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the contest, though, was his highly-efficient play. Djokovic committed just 19 unforced errors in this five-set marathon. That helped the world No. 1 survive Anderson’s blistering serve which produced 40 aces in this fourth-round clash.
Next up for Djokovic is a last-eight showdown with Marin Cilic. The 28-year-old will fancy his chances against the Croatian as he is 12-0 in his career against Cilic. Djokovic won their most recent meeting in the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo last April, beating Cilic in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. They have faced each other just once before on grass with Djokovic winning that lone encounter.
For Djokovic to continue his dominance against Cilic, he needs to improve on his return play. He won just 35% of his receiving points in his fourth-round match against Anderson. Djokovic will take heart in the fact, though, that he made the most of his break chances in that contest. He converted five of his eight break point opportunities in that epic clash against Anderson.
Marin Cilic barged into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon with a thrilling 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over American Denis Kudla on Monday. It was a superb performance from the 26-year-old who needed two hours and 44 minutes to record the four-set victory.
Key to Cilic’s victory was his excellent serve. He converted 63% of his first serves against Dudla with the Croatian winning 61 of his 79 first serve points (77%). He also found some success in his occasional forays to the net, winning 22 of his 39 points there (56%).
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for Cilic as standing in his way in the quarterfinals is the two-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic. He is 0-12 lifetime against the world No. 1. With that being said, Cilic will take comfort in the fact that he pushed Djokovic to the brink in their last meeting here at Wimbledon. He took Djokovic to five sets in the quarterfinals of this tournament last year, losing 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-2.
For Cilic to go one step further and upset Djokovic this time around, he needs to improve on his disappointing return play. He won just 39% (59/150) of his receiving points in his fourth-round win against Dudla. That simply won’t do against a world-class player like Djokovic who’s unbeaten in his last 11 matches here at Wimbledon.
Cilic is 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Cilic (+700) stuns Djokovic in a five-set thriller.
