Wimbledon 2018 Men’s Final Preview – Novak Djokovic v Kevin Anderson
With the ladies draw already decided, Angelique Kerber being crowned Champion for the first time, it is now down to the men to bring the curtain down on another superb tournament, with Novak Djokovic looking for a fourth title taking on Kevin Anderson who is looking to become a first time winner.
At the start of the tournament neither of these players were expected to be in the Championship decider, however with Anderson beating both Federer and Isner, and Djokovic accounting for Nadal, all of which were epic encounters, few can argue with the fact that they both deserve their shot on the Centre Court of SW19.
The 32-year-old South African Anderson, arrives in the final off the back of his two most impressive career wins. Two sets down and facing a match point in his quarterfinal clash with Federer, Anderson somehow managed to find his game and overturn the deficit to beat the Swiss 13-11 in the deciding set. Two-days later, he won the second-longest match in the history of Wimbledon when he beat John Isner 26-24 in a quite brilliant fifth set.
John Isner vs Kevin Anderson SF Highlights
Djokovic himself was involved in a thrilling semifinal clash with his rival Nadal. The Serbian former world number one has struggled with his form after returning from a long injury lay-off, however as the tournament has unfolded, his game has returned and was especially evident when he overcame the dogged Nadal 10-8 in the final set, to extend his head-to-head record against the Spaniard to 27-25, and book his spot in a fifth Wimbledon Final.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal SF Highlights
Anderson will certainly have his work cut out if he is to do the unthinkable. Djokovic has a 5-1 winning record against Anderson, his only win coming 10-years ago in Miami. And while his serve has been his main weapon in his title charge, he will be very well aware of Djokovic’s ability to counteract the games big servers. Throw into the mix that this will be Djokovic’s 22 Slam Final, 12 of those winning ones, then the reading doesn’t look great for the South African.
That said the pressure and expectation is off and he can hopefully go out and play with some freedom, if the big stage doesn’t get to him!
SPORTSvox.com Prediction
We all love an underdog, especially Anderson who is a great guy and a much improved player over the last few years. However, one can’t ignore the fact that having dinner on the big table for the first time will most likely be too much for him to handle. Djokovic should win in four sets which gives decent value at 5/2.
