Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to his second Wimbledon title as the top seed booked his third appearance in the final with a gritty 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) victory over Grigor Dimitrov on Friday.
Djokovic, who won the Wimbledon title in 2011, rarely hit peak form in a patchy semi-final on Centre Court, but showed all his battling qualities to overcome the Bulgarian 11th seed in a three hour and two minute war of attrition.
The 27-year-old, a six-time Grand Slam winner, will face seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer or Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic in his 14th Grand Slam final as he looks to avenge last year’s final defeat against Andy Murray.
World number two Djokovic will reclaim top spot in the rankings from Rafael Nadal for the first time since September 2013 if he lifts the trophy in his third Wimbledon final in four years on Sunday.
“I thought I started well, but once again I allowed my opponent to get back into it,” Djokovic said.
“The fourth set could have gone either way but overall I’m happy to be in another Wimbledon final.
Djokovic has been beaten in five of his last six Grand Slam finals, with his last major triumph coming at the 2013 Australian Open, and he admitted he is desperate to end that frustrating run this weekend.
