Its Novak Djokovic vs. Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final

WIMBLEDON, England The theme of the final game of this year’s Wimbledon men’s tournament is Novak Djokovic against newcomers.

After arresting inspired Canadian 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov in Friday’s semifinals on Sunday, he will face strong Italian 25-year-old Matteo Berrettin in the final on Sunday.

Djokovic has dropped just one set in the tournament, and it was the first he played against British wildcard Jack Draper on opening day, while the grass was still along a lush baseline.

But it has turned to dust at this point along with the hopes of its opponents to upset. After winning Shapovalov 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5, Djokovic can still dream big when chasing two great tennis experiences.

Defeat Berrettini on Sunday and he will join his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam singles, a men’s record.

Defeat Berrettini, and Djokovic will also stay on the road to the so-called Golden Slam, which requires the player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.

I’ve had the great privilege of making the history of a sport I really love, and it fills my heart every time I hear there’s something historic on the line, he said in a post-match interview. Obviously it inspires me and motivates me, but at the same time I have to balance it with presence and moment.

At the age of 34, he has certainly had a wealth of experience from the biggest stages of the games. This is the final of his 30th Grand Slam single.

It is the first for the seventh seed Berrettin, who won the opening semifinal No. 14 on Friday, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, 6-3, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Berrettini is the first Italian man or woman to reach the Wimbledon singles final.

I think I never dreamed of this because it was too much for sleep, Berrettini said.

He was certainly talking about his childhood, not his more recent past, as this run to the finals could not have been a complete shock in light of his recent results.

Last month, he reached the French Open semi-finals and pushed potential champion Djokovic into intense tension in a four-round match. Berrettini then won a lawn warm-up event at the Queens Club, which has often been a forerunner of success at Wimbledon.

At the age of 6-foot-5, he has a strong dose and one of the heaviest handpieces in a sport full of hands. But as he showed against Hurkacz, he has improved his mobility and palm both clogged, with the return of two hands and with one hand.

Hurkacz, an aggressive player whose game fits well on the lawn, had shocked 2nd place, Daniil Medvedev, in the fourth round and Federer, in the quarterfinals, winning the final series 6-0 against the eight-time Wimbledon champion.

Berrettini won the second set by the same score on Friday, and although Hurkacz raised his game and pushed the semi-finals into the fourth set, he never found a way to break Berrettin’s service.

But Berrettini, who found 22 aces, is not just a server. He finished with 60 winners and 18 flawless errors, in a remarkable and frightening ratio.

Matteo played pretty well, Hurkacz said. I mean, he served bombs. He really didn’t make a lot of mistakes during the four sets. I mean, if he keeps playing like this, he has a really big chance in the finals.

The problem has been going on for so long against Djokovic, who is the highest big-point in the games, a big-match player.

Djokovic bends like no other and twists his angular frame into positions worthy of Cirque du Soleil. On Friday, he continued to struggle with his leg as he has fallen repeatedly throughout the tournament. By the end, her white shirt was covered in dirt, she looked like someone who had just come out of the backyard with her two small children.

But stopping Djokovic is one of the most difficult tasks in the sport. The last Shapovalov took a swing. The Canadian left-handed is one of the busiest players in tennis, and he came by tearing the first doses and airborne strokes, forcing even Djokovic out of his defensive comfort zones.

But Djokovic is never more dangerous than when he is taken to the corners, and his well-deserved reputation takes precedence in the minds of competitors. In his first Grand Slam semifinals, Shapovalov served an opening set of 5-4 and faltered, missing a stem of 30-30 after he had played brilliantly to open the field.

Djokovic continued to breach his service and took the draw as a draw when Shapovalov did not win the points he offered and finished it with a double error.

It was a reminder of the past. Djokovic dominated the road breakers in his five-set victory against Federer 2019 Wimbledon final in the same court. It was also a sign of things to come as Shapovalov continued to make an impact with his easy power and stylish play, but still failed to win key points.

He moved just one of 11 breakpoints, and while Shapovalov did a great job of keeping his feelings under control for most of the match, in the final stages he plundered himself after mistakes and cried out for constant gloom this cloudy afternoon.

Djokovic can do it for a man, even a very talented one, when he bends down but refuses to break. And although Shapovalov gained a lot of popularity from the crowd in the center field after the match, he was also in tears when he left for the exit.