Will the Local Hero crack the Djoker?
Unlike the women’s competition, there weren’t too many surprises in the men’s singles at Wimbledon 2022. The number one and number two seeds are still in the mix. That means Serb Novak Djokovic is still fighting to defend his title. He will face local hero Cameron Norrie in the semifinals on Friday
It will be a very special semi-final for sure. Novak Djokovic is currently the best grass court player in the world after a Roger Federer comeback looks increasingly unlikely. After six Wimbledon titles, the Djoker has a very special relationship with the sacred grass. Nevertheless, the crowd will be more likely to be against him and push the local hero forward.
For Cameron Norrie, it is the biggest match of his career. He has never reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. The fact that it has now happened at what is supposed to be his home match in Wimbledon could not have been imagined more beautifully. Nevertheless, it is clear that in the duel between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie, the prediction can only go to a victory for the Serb.
In parts, the defending champion offered lawn tennis of a different kind and only really got into trouble once during the week and a half at Church Road, even if he did have his brief lulls here and there.
Novak Djokovic – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 3
Position in the seedings: 1
It’s not that Novak Djokovic plays completely flawlessly at Church Road, but when his opponents threaten to gain the upper hand, the Serb is able to mirror his opponent’s game and because the Djoker then has the greater qualities, he usually turns the match back in his direction. That’s why we are now in the semi-finals, which is highly deserved.
Djokovic grows with the tasks
After failing to compete at the Australian Open and falling to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals at the French Open, the Serb is now looking for his first Grand Slam success this year. The Serb last failed to win a major title in 2017. At least in the semifinals, there is no great doubt for the time being that between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie, one should mainly look at the odds for a success for the Serb.
However, the Djoker has already had to accept a few set losses at Church Road this year. Already in the first round the six-time champion went over four sets against South Korean Soon-Woo Kwon. But Djokovic really delivered against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Miomir Kecmanovic, outclassing both opponents in clear three sets.
Against the Dutch newcomer Tim van Rijthoven, the Djoker only had problems in the second set. The quarter-final against the Italian Jannik Sinner was a tough match. Djokovic was already trailing 0:2 in the sets, but then got better and better into the match and finally won 5:7, 2:6, 6:3, 6:2 and 6:2. Once the Djoker has found his game, there’s no stopping him.
Cameron Norrie – statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 12
Position in the seedings: 9
The story around Cameron Norrie’s origins is very exciting. His father is Scottish, his mother comes from Wales. The Briton was born in South Africa and grew up in New Zealand. As a teenager, he went to college in the United States. After all, he lived in London for three years in the meantime and now he lives in the English capital again.
Public favourite in semi-final for the first time
That’s not the only reason Wimbledon is a special affair of the heart for the 26-year-old. Now that Cameron Norrie has established himself among the world’s top players, he can even hope to hit the big time at Church Road. The semi-final at Wimbledon is the biggest success of his career, alongside last year’s Masters victory at Indian Wells. Perhaps after a great week and a half, he can even cause a bang.
His matches went smoothly three times at Wimbledon this year and twice he was on the brink of elimination. Against Pablo Andujar, Steve Johnson and Tommy Paul he won clearly in three sets. In the second round, however, he had to make a huge effort to stay in the competition after trailing 1:2 in the first set against Jaume Munar.
The Briton was also on the brink of elimination in the quarter-finals against the Belgian David Goffin. Once again, however, he managed to turn around a 1:2 after sets and finally won 3:6, 7:5, 2:6, 6:3 and 7:5. What is clear, however, is that he can hardly afford to be down against the six-time champion and that is why we are sticking with the prediction that between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie, the prediction can only go to a Serbian victory.
Novak Djokovic – Cameron Norrie Direct comparison / H2H record
Only once have the paths of Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie crossed and it was basically only due to chance. At the ATP Finals in Turin last season, the Briton was not actually in the field, but came in as a substitute for Stefanos Tsitsipas. So he met the Djoker in the group phase.
Novak Djokovic made short work of his British opponent and outclassed him 6:2 and 6:1. However, the Serb then failed in the semi-finals against the eventual winner Alexander Zverev. Since then, there have been no further duels between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie.
Novak Djokovic – Cameron Norrie Tip
Novak Djokovic is the measure of all things on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon. The Serb will not want to let Cameron Norrie deny him the chance to win his seventh title at Church Road. It was not always 100% confident what the Djoker offered in London these days, but when he found his game, he was unstoppable.
Therefore, we expect that the Serb will prove to be too big for the local hero in the semi-finals on Friday.
In their only previous encounter last November, the Briton didn’t stand a chance and lost clearly in two straight sets. We expect that it could be similar on Friday. We would be surprised if the local hero could win even one round. That’s why we decided to play the betting odds between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie on a 3-0 win for the favourite.
