Novak Djokovic was weary and withdrawn for much of this semi-final, a shadow of his usual self burning in the sunshine over Centre Court, but even that deficit couldn’t bridge the gulf in class that swallowed up Cameron Norrie. The Briton had already defied expectation to reach Wimbledon’s last four and he managed to stir the most cynical of imaginations when he broke Djokovic three times in a barely fathomable first set. But with almost crushing inevitability, the defending champion raised his game and systematically ransacked the British No 1 of his spirit, cruising through the next three sets with increasing ease to close out a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Norrie fought valiantly until the end, but his shoulders had long slumped and a sense of regret might weigh heavily in the coming days. Djokovic had been so off-kilter at the start here, so heavy and inert, that you wonder if a better opportunity might ever present itself. But then, Djokovic has not reached four successive finals and extended an unbeaten record at Wimbledon to 27 matches by always hitting his peak level. It is an art as much as an ability to always find that extra gear when needed, to grind down his opponents and prick at their weaknesses just enough until the pressure makes them fold. It put paid to Norrie’s hopes but there was no shame in defeat after an excellent run that began as the ninth seed in relative obscurity and ended with him as a headline act on Wimbledon’s main stage.
