Novak Djokovic cruises to Semis - Wimbledon 2021

Wimbledon 2021 is underway.  Their country man Jack Draper was cheered on to Centre Court and roared off it. In between he caused sufficient discomfort to arguably the great male player in history that it seems a rather safe bet that he’ll be back.  It was  a stirring performance on the opening day of Wimbledon from the talented 19-year-old. It ultimately ended in defeat for the lad from Surrey, with sets two, three and four being won by the 19-time Slam champion for the loss of five games. And yet it was the first, won 6-4 in 37 minutes, that will lock Draper in the memory and reinforce the idea that he is the best of the emerging British players.  .. .. the hero of this post, has lost only that set thus far, and today decimated his difficult (in spelling and pronunciation) opponent in straight sets to move into Semi-finals.

The first written mentions of Nyíregyháza date back to 1209, although it was then called simply Nyír ('birch'), after the Nyírség, the greater region in which the city lies. In the 16th century, during the Turkish occupation of Hungary, Nyíregyháza became deserted; it was resettled later. Nyíregyháza   is a city in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.   It is famous for its zoo - Nyíregyháza Zoo, with over 500 species. After the War for Independence led by Prince Francis II Rákóczi, the town's population increased. Most new settlers were Slovaks from the area of Békéscsaba.   In the early 19th century, Nyíregyháza was wealthy enough to secure freedom from its feudal lords, the Dessewffy and Károlyi families.  

You are reading all these for the man who lost today in the Quarter finals of Wimbledon 2021 - Márton Fucsovics,  a Hungarian professional tennis player was born here in 1992.

After reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday, Novak Djokovic admitted that he tries not to think about who the greatest player of all-time is and where he fits into that conversation. The Serbian feels that devoting energy to that would “derail” him from the task at hand, which is winning matches and tournaments.  But the World No. 1’s next opponent to be in QF, Marton Fucsovics, chimed in on the “GOAT” debate — speaking about the ‘Big Three’ of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — before their clash in the last eight. “I think they are the greatest of all time, all three of them. For me there is no difference between them,” Fucsovics said. “When I play against these guys, of course it's a pleasure for me. But they bring out the best of me, and I think I can improve my game when I play against them.”

Nothing of that sort today as  Novak Djokovic reached his 10th semifinal at Wimbledon and 41st at a major tournament with a straight-set victory over unseeded Marton Fucsovics. The World no. 1 Djoko continued his quest for a third consecutive Wimbledon title with a simple uncluttered  straight-sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final win in the  Centre Court. The top seed needed two hours and 17 minutes to record his 100th tour level win on grass.

“I’m aware of certain stats and obviously I love this sport with all my heart, body and soul,” said Djokovic. “I’ve been devoted to this sport since I was four and sometimes things do look surreal, but I try to live in the moment and not take anything for granted. Going for history is a huge inspiration for me.”

Match statistics: aces (4-5), double faults (3-5), winners (23-24), unforced errors (30-31), total points won (106-86).  The 34-year-old from Serbia also improved to 19-0 at majors this season as he pursues the first calendar-year Grand Slam by a man since Rod Laver in 1969.

The top-seeded Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead after 18 minutes against Fucsovics, a 29-year-old from Hungary who is ranked 48th and was making his major quarterfinal debut.  Djokovic then had a three-game blip and needed six set points before eventually closing out the opener. He used a five-game run bridging the end of the second set and start of the third to leave no doubt about the outcome.

Djokovic will face No. 10 Denis Shapovalov or No. 25 Karen Khachanov in Friday's semifinals. In serbia the nickname for someone that has the name 'Novak' is 'Nole. ' Djokovic is fondly known as Nole.  The “GOAT” (Greatest of all Time) debate has divided opinions for a decade and remains a hot topic as the trio of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal continue to dominate the field despite the challenge from the younger generation.  The Hall of Famer names Rod Laver as the pre-Open era GOAT and says the Open era GOAT will be the Big 3 champion—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic—who wins the most career Grand Slam crowns. In an interview for Channel 9's Wide World of Sports, a great Tennis legend Ivan Lendl said Rod Laver, the only player in history to sweep the Grand Slam twice—once as an amateur in 1962 and again as a professional in 1969—is the pre-Open era GOAT.

Now at the time of posting this @ 0930 pm of 7^th July 2021 – in the Centre Court, another Roger Federer is playing Hubert Hurkacz from Poland.  His mother, Zofia Maliszewska-Hurkacz, was a junior tennis champion in Poland.  The news is Hurkacz has won the first set against Federer !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
7.7.2021.