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That match victor, Kevin Anderson, will be seeking his first major crown on Sunday, while Djokovic-playing in his 22nd Grand Slam final-is seeking his 13th. In the last two rounds alone he defeated eight-time champion and tournament favorite Roger Federer in a five-set comeback, then played John Isner in what became the longest match in Wimbledon history finally winning the final set, 26-24.
Interestingly, Isner has been a part of three of the longest Grand Slam singles matches ever.
Novak Djokovic will play for his fourth Wimbledon title after beating world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a five-set semifinal match that took an extra day to complete. "They've been watching us for over six hours".
The 12-time grand slam victor, who will face Anderson in Sunday's men's singles final at the All England Club, says those battles played out in his head after the win.
"I apologise if I´m not more excited right now. I really hope we can look at it and address this because at the end you don't even feel that great out there". In the six-plus hour match, he served 53 aces and hit 129 winners.
For both men, the match means something different. "I'm just going through things, having flashbacks of the last 15 months, everything I've been through to get here, to get to the finals and beat the best player in the world in one of the longest matches I've ever played".
The extraordinary length of the match, in turn, delayed the start of Nadal-Djokovic, which promised to deliver higher-caliber tennis.
It's the first time in almost a century that a South African's made it to the end of the competition, and no South African has ever won the tournament.
2 dead, 1 injured in explosion in Gaza hours after ceasefire announced
Smoke raises in the background following an Israeli airstrike hits a governmental building in Gaza City, Saturday, July 14, 2018. Three Israelis were hurt by one of more than 90 rockets fired on Israel.
Anderson saved three break points in the third game of the first set before Isner had to save a set point in the 10th. Novak served brilliantly in the key moments, staving off break point opportunities from the Spaniard.
The 33-year-old agreed with Anderson that all Slams should introduce a tiebreak in the final set and fall in line with the US Open.
Following his defeat Friday, Isner said the time was "overdue" to institute fifth-set tiebreaks - for the good of players, fans and broadcasters alike.
The quality on display was spectacular and towards the climax ridiculous as the two heavyweight combatants elevated their games to insane levels.
Anderson had break points in the 15th, 21st and 35th games of the decider before taking victory when a tired Isner hit long. But the ex-Illini had his serve broken in Game 9 of that set before he double-faulted while up 8-7 in the tiebreaker.
Djokovic has endured a lot of setbacks in the past year.
Anderson's run at Wimbledon may have seemed unpredictable, writes Jack Houghton, but he deserves support in the final side markets to continue surprising. In the near 15 years since Roddick's 2003 U.S. Open title, U.S. women have won a combined 21 Grand Slam titles (17 via Williams).
Djokovic, meanwhile, is seeking a fifth final at the All England Club and 22nd at the Slams. "I personally think a sensible option would be 12-All", said Isner, who was bidding to reach his first Slam final at the 41st attempt.
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