Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray of the Grandstand make their picks for the two men’s semifinals on Friday at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will renew their rivalry, while Kevin Anderson vs. John Isner is a far more surprising affair.
(12) Novak Djokovic vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Ricky: There’s no doubt that Djokovic is playing great; if he is not back to his absolute 100 percent best, he will be soon. That being said, the Serb does not have a true “big” win since Rome last May–when he beat Juan Martin Del Potro and Dominic Thiem in succession in the quarters and semis. That’s more than 13 months, folks. On paper, Djokovic’s best win this season is over a hopelessly out-of-form Grigor Dimitrov in the Queen’s Club second round. His three defeats of Kei Nishikori in 2018 (including on Wednesday) have been nice, but this also hasn’t been peak Nishikori. When healthy and rested, meanwhile, Nadal has been by far the best player on tour this year. Time off in February, March, and at the beginning of this grass-court swing is only helping him now. Look for the Spaniard to maintain momentum from his epic quarterfinal victory over Del Potro. Nadal in 4: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-3.
Cheryl: Rafa and Nole take 52. It is the most prolific (Open Era) rivalry tennis has ever seen. It doesn’t get quite the attention that the Federer-Nadal rivalry gets, but that’s just because Djokovic isn’t nearly as popular as Federer. It is also a streaky rivalry, but not a one-sided one. In fact, it’s as even as 51 meetings can be. Djokovic has won 26 of their matches; Nadal 25. Though I would generally give the edge to Djokovic off clay, in this case Nadal appears to have found some of the magic that led him to Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2010. His quarterfinal match against Del Potro was the match of the tournament by some margin. Djokovic has spent the 2018 season so far re-finding his form after a long injury layoff. He had some spotty moments against Nishikori in the quarters but was able to pull through in four relatively easy sets. Djokovic will almost certainly go into Friday’s semifinals on fresher legs, but it won’t matter. Nadal in 4: 6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.
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(8) Kevin Anderson vs. (9) John Isner
Ricky: Anderson trailed Gael Monfils by four (4-0) and Roger Federer by four (4-0) in the head-to-head series. He erased both of those demons, first against Monfils in the fourth round and then in far more spectacular fashion against Federer in the quarters. The South African trails Isner by five (8-3) and has lost five in a row in the head-to-head series. So, will he also turn the tide here? It’s possible, because any Isner-Anderson match on grass is going to be close to 50-50. Then again, that seemed like the case with Isner vs. Milos Raonic on Wednesday and the 6’10” American won both the third and the fourth sets without requiring a tiebreaker. Isner has not been broken this entire tournament, so he should once again have a slight edge in this rivalry that dates back to their college days. Isner in 4: 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-4.
Cheryl: Giant killer Anderson (who shocked Federer in the quarters) hasn’t historically played well against Isner. The South African defeated Isner way back in 2012 in Delray Beach, and Isner has posted five wins since then. The good news for Anderson is that he had never beaten Federer before Wednesday, so clearly the No. 8 seed has found a new level of his game to go to. For his part, Isner has never even been in a Grand Slam semifinal before. The American earned a surprisingly routine four-set victory over the big-serving Canadian Raonic to earn his first semifinal berth. Despite Anderson’s great play on Wednesday to take out Federer, I sense a bit of a letdown for him in the semis. Isner in 5: 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 3-6, 12-10.
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