Djokovic channels Space Jam to reach Wimbledon final

For the first time since 2016, Novak Djokovic is into a Grand Slam final. Needing two days to get it done, the Serbian took out world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8 in a classic Wimbledon semifinal.

It's his first final appearance at a Grand Slam since losing the 2016 US Open championship match to Stan Wawrinka.

Emotions were running high for the 31-year-old on Saturday, as expected. This is by far the best tennis he has played since returning to the tour.

Djokovic has endured a lot of setbacks in the past year. After losing at Wimbledon last year, he took a six-month injury hiatus. Then after losing early at the Australian Open, the world No. 21 underwent surgery on his right elbow. Things started to click for him in Rome, where he reached the semifinals before falling to Nadal.

"I'm really, really pleased," Djokovic said. "I was very emotional after the match, as well, because it's been a long 15 months for me, you know, trying to overcome different obstacles. So to be where I am at the moment is quite, quite satisfying."

It certainly seems like he's back to peak form right now. He showed off his signature flexibility and athletic prowess against Nadal in the semifinals. Even though he didn't convert his first match point at 8-7, his efforts in chasing a Nadal drop shot did not go unnoticed.

"It was one of those moments where I think time stopped for me. Match point, I saw him coming in, I played a relatively solid shot," Djokovic said. "But the drop shot was just too good. I was too far away. But I did try to, like, in Space Jam with Michael Jordan, when he was trying to stretch, that's probably something that comes to my mind to describe it."

The two champions exchanged a flurry of drop shots across the match in a physical battled that lasted over five hours. It's still no comparison to the other men's semifinal that took over six-and-a-half hours.

That match winner, Kevin Anderson, will be seeking his first major crown on Sunday, while Djokovic—playing in his 22nd Grand Slam final—is seeking his 13th.

"Considering he's playing only his second Grand Slam final, obviously he has a lot more to gain," Djokovic said. "If I take my last couple years, I don't have much to lose myself. I'm, again, in a Grand Slam finals after a long time, after actually almost two years.

"Of course, we want this trophy. We want this match, both of us."

Strokes of Genius is a world-class documentary capturing the historic 13-year rivalry between tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is timed for release as the anticipation crests with Roger as returning champion, 10 years after their famed 2008 Wimbledon championship – an epic match so close and so reflective of their competitive balance that, in the end, the true winner was the sport itself.

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