2018 Wimbledon Men's Singles final: Kevin Anderson vs Novak Djokovic, preview, ultimate guide, start time
After two gruelling semi-final clashes, we finally have our 2018 Wimbledon Men’s Singles final between Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic. In the countdown to the historic clash, here’s everything you need to know.
Background
Anderson and Djokovic have clashed six times overall with the Serb holding a 5-1 record all-time. They have faced off twice in grand slams with Djokovic winning both encounters, incidentally at Wimbledon in 2015 and 2011. Djokovic disposed of the South African in straight sets in 2011, but had to come from two sets down in 2015 to prevail 7-5 in the fifth set. If that is anything to go by, this match could be another classic in what has become a tournament full of classics.
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When
The 2018 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final will take place at 11pm AEST.
Where to watch
You will be able to watch the match live on Seven and can follow all the action on the Wide World of Sports live blog.
Road to the the Final
Kevin Anderson (8)
SF: John Isner (9) 7-6 6-7 6-7 6-4 26-24
QF: Roger Federer (1) 2-6 6-7 7-5 6-4 13-11
4th: Gael Monfils 7-6 7-6 5-7 7-6
3rd: Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-5 7-5
2nd: Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-7 6-3 6-4
1st: Norbert Gombos 6-3 6-4 6-4
Novak Djokovic (12)
SF: Rafael Nadal (2) 6-4 3-6 7-6 3-6 10-8
QF: Kei Nishikori (24) 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-2
4th: Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-2 6-2
3rd: Kyle Edmund (12) 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4
2nd: Horacio Zeballos 6-1 6-2 6-3
1st: Tennys Sandrgren 6-3 6-1 6-2
2018 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final Preview
To say that both Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic have taken the long road to this year’s Wimbledon Men’s Singles final would be a gross understatement.
Anderson’s road began with tough wins over the likes of Andreas Seppi and Philipp Kohlschreiber before a tight four-settler against Frenchman Gael Monfils in the fourth round.
The 32-year-old South African’s title hopes really kicked into gear following a shock five-set quarter final win over this year’s top seed Roger Federer, where he came back from two sets down beat the Swiss maestro.
However, if the veteran right-hander thought his troubles were over after Federer, he would have been sorely mistaken.
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Anderson’s semi-final clash against John Isner proved to be one that will go down in Wimbledon folklore. Both men fought tooth and nail before Anderson prevailed 26-24 in the fourth set. The marathon clash incredibly delayed proceedings and had a direct impact on Djokovic’s semi final.
The 2018 final is Anderson’s second career grand slam final after making it to the US Open final last year before losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal.
Comparatively, Anderson’s opponent Novak Djokovic is well-versed in playing at the business end of grand slams.
The 2018 final will be Djokovic’s fifth Wimbledon final and he has enjoyed tremendous success on the biggest grass court stage. Out of Djokovic’s four previous finals, only once has he been denied the title in 2013 where Andy Murray prevailed in straight sets. Djokovic was a winner at Wimbledon in 2011, 2014 and 2015.
Djokovic enters the final hoping to end one of his biggest lean periods since the turn of the decade.
After dominating world tennis from 2010 to 2016, 2017 represented the first calendar year Djokovic failed to win a grand slam since 2010 as he struggled with injury and form.
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The 31-year-old Serbian last made a grand slam final in the 2016 US Open and has failed to progress past the quarter finals stage in the five grand slams since.
Like Anderson, Djokovic too took a hard route to this year’s final. The 12-time grand slam winner dropped just two sets on his way to the semi-final but faced Spanish warrior Rafael Nadal in a gruelling semi final where both men pushed each other to the brink.
What was once a dark spot early in his career, Djokovic has become a master at grinding out long matches and he may have to rely on this against Anderson who has shown a propensity to come back from the dead more than once in this year’s tournament.
It will be interesting to see how both men recover from their titanic semi final clashes, particularly with Djokovic having less than 24-hours to turn around following his win over Nadal.
Odds
Kevin Anderson $5.00
Novak Djokovic $1.19
