NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Novak Djokovic overcame a difficult first set with David Goffin to win ten consecutive matches and a third set to sail to the semifinals again at Wimbledon.
This will be Djokovic's ninth Wimbledon semi-final with a 5-3 record including his five-set epic with Rafael Nadal last year which he won on his way to the fourth title.
The world number one will face a different Spaniard in this year's semi-final, Roberto Bautista Agut, with whom he leads a 7-3 head-to-head record.
ROBERTO BAUTISTA AGUT
Roberto Bautista Agut dropped the first set of his beautiful Wimbledon campaign to Argentine Guido Pella in the quarter-finals, but assured the fourth calmly.
The world number 22 was a late developing player but in the form of his life at the age of 31 and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
While Djokovic led their career record, Bautista Agut led a 2019 2-0 head-to-head match after two victories were determined in Doha and Florida, both of which were difficult fields.
Novak Djokovic vs Roberto Bautista Agut PREVIEW
While other men's semifinals between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer look difficult to call, Novak Djokovic will be expected to loosen him against Roberto Bautista Agut as he tries to defend the Wimbledon title and become the winner of the event for the fifth time. Bautista Agut was a surprise semifinal of a quarter which included former Wimbledon finalists at Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic.
style="text-align: justify;">
The Spaniard deserved great credit for reducing his draw because players who were considered stronger fell, but this rate was even surprising for him, with his plans for the weekend placing him elsewhere. "I have planned to be in Ibiza now, we have arranged everything. My friends, six of them, are all there, "he said after a four-set win over Guido Pella. The stag will now begin in London, because he wants to reach an unexpected final position.
"My shot was completely flat. I like to take the ball early, to be solid. With experience coming from year to year to grass, I really learned more about movement on grass. I feel I can play a solid game also from the baseline and I can really develop the good things I do on the field here on the grass. "He said about how he adapted on grass this year, after not achieving success otherwise.
The big three have criticized their opposition for two weeks and Djokovic is no exception. He found himself experiencing a break in the first set but then resigned from 10 straight matches to get rid of David Goffin in straight sets 6-4 6-0 6-2. "I have played the best tennis [I] in this tournament in the last two rounds, the fourth round and today, especially today in the second set and the third set against Goffin, which is in good standing. I felt like I had managed to dismantle the game and always found the right shot. Very happy with the performance, "Djokovic said afterwards.
Djokovic has actually lost both of his matches from Bautista Agut this season, falling in 3 with a sluggish appearance in Doha and Miami but the five-set format clearly plays in his favor. Of those who are considered to be outside the top level, the 23rd seed remains one of the most consistent and this place in the top four is a big prize for his hard work.
PREDICTION
It's a match that many fans don't know they want but it can be a bit competitive like the match on the other side of the draw. World number one Novak Djokovic will be afraid of his semi-final opponent Roberto Bautista Agut more than most because their five out of ten matches together have made both players compete with each other, including their last three matches. Interestingly, two of Bautista Agut's three wins against Djokovic took place in the semi-finals, although not at the Grand Slams. The Serbian level is on a certain scale with three of the three matches won between pairs at the Grand Slams, two at Roland-Garros and one at the US Open. Bautista Agut can take this for determination but Djokovic won't
