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LONDON: Novak Djokovic claimed “36 is the new 26” after the history-chasing Serb reached his ninth Wimbledon final with a fiery victory over Jannik Sinner on Friday.
Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win sealed the defending champion’s record 35th Grand Slam final appearance and moved him closer to a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title.
The 36-year-old faces world number one Carlos Alcaraz or Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev in his fifth successive Wimbledon final on Sunday.
Djokovic may have moved past American legend Chris Evert as the only man or woman to make 35 major finals, but he has even more significant feats in his sights on Sunday.
The world number two will tie Roger Federer’s eight Wimbledon crowns if he wins a fifth consecutive title on the All England Club grass.
With 23 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, the world number two is aiming to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
“I feel 36 is the new 26, it feels pretty good. I feel a lot of motivation,” he said.
“It is great to be part of this next generation, I love it.
“This sport has given me and my family a lot. I will return a favor to this sport and play as much as I can.”
Djokovic is the third oldest man to reach the Wimbledon final in the Open era and will become the oldest All England Club male champion — surpassing Federer’s 2017 triumph aged 35 — if he wins on Sunday.
At a time when Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal is preparing for a farewell tour next year before his own retirement, Djokovic is still going strong.
He has already won this season’s Australian Open and French Open as he chases an astonishing clean-sweep of all four Grand Slam events in a single year, with the US Open to come in August.
On the secret of his longevity, Djokovic said: “We are part of an individual sport so you have to rely on yourself and put yourself in the best physical and mental state before heading out on court.”
As part of the generation expected to challenge Djokovic’s preeminence, the 21-year-old Sinner conceded the Serb’s mental strength makes him so hard to defeat.
“Obviously you know that you play against the best player in the world at the moment, especially on this surface,” the Italian said.
“His mental side is very strong, for sure. Especially, as I said before, the important moments, he knows exactly how to play them. He’s not going to give you something.”
Djokovic clashed with umpire Richard Haigh and spectators during the semifinal, displaying the competitive edge that makes him such a force.
Haigh took a point from Djokovic in the fourth game of the second set, ruling he made a distracting noise after his shot and just before Sinner was about to hit the ball.
Clearly furious, Djokovic stormed over to the official to ask “what are you doing?.”
Haigh irked Djokovic again moments later, warning him for taking too long to serve, but the Serb remained focused as he took the set.
“The hindrance could have changed the course of the match. I felt nervous after that call, but I managed to re-group,” Djokovic said.
“It’s probably the first time it’s happened to me, I don’t normally have extended grunts. Maybe it was an echo in the roof.”
After saving two set points in the third set, Djokovic responded to the crowd’s support for Sinner by making a sarcastic crying gesture, ensuring he had the last laugh as he stormed to victory.
“Semi-final are always going to be very intense,” he said. “Maybe the scoreline doesn’t give the reality of what happened on court. It was super close.”