Reuters
Novak Djokovic said he expects a "great battle" against Italian powerhouse Matteo Berrettini in Sunday's Wimbledon final when victory will earn the Serb a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title.
The 34-year-old maintained his imperious progress as he fought off Canadian Denis Shapovalov in three tight sets on Friday to move into his 30th Grand Slam final.
Seventh seed Berrettini will be contesting in his first Grand Slam final but Djokovic is fully aware that the 25-year-old, who bangs down serves at close to 140mph, is credible threat to his hopes of drawing level with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
"Anything is possible in the finals," defending champion Djokovic, who has won five of his previous six Wimbledon finals including in 2018 and 2019, told reporters.
"Obviously experience is on my side. But Berrettini has been winning a lot of matches on grass courts this year, winning Queen's. He's in great form. He's serving big, playing big.
"So it's going to be a very tough match I think for both of us. But I'm looking forward to a great battle," he added.
Djokovic booked his place in the final with a typically dogmatic performance against Shapovalov who, in his first Grand Slam semifinal, often outshone his illustrious opponent but faltered at critical moments.
The world number one made only 15 unforced errors and managed to fend off 10 of the 11 break points he faced in a victory that was as just as tight as the 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 scoreline suggested.
England plays Italy in a momentous Euro 2020 final a few miles away at Wembley on Sunday evening, but Djokovic believes that Berrettini, despite being Italian, will still get the majority of support from the British crowd as the underdog.
