Djokovic refuses to be distracted after seeing off Tomic

Novak Djokovic does not believe his route to what would be a maiden Wimbledon final has been made easier by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s stunning come-from-behind win over Roger Federer.

When Serbian second seed Djokovic walked off Court One with a 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 quarter-final win over Bernard Tomic under his belt, he would have expected to find it was Federer – the only man to have beaten him in 2011 – waiting for him in the last four.

Federer had taken a 2-0 lead, something he had not surrendered in 178 grand slam matches, but dramatically capitulated on Centre Court, although Djokovic, who watched the end of that match on television, does not reckon his task has been made any easier as a result of the Swiss’s demise.

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“I really need to work in my game. I hope I can perform a little bit better than I did today,” he said.

“That’s what matters for me the most, regardless of who is across the net.

“Tsonga came back from 0-2. It’s an amazing comeback. He’s been playing great in the grass-court season so far. He played really well at Queen’s (getting to the final) and he’s been winning against top players. He’s very dangerous.”

Federer’s exit will overshadow what was a patchy performance from Djokovic, with the world No 2 often leggy and lethargic against the 18-year-old Australian, someone he has used as a regular practice partner over recent months.

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Having taken the first set at a canter, he was broken in the second set on the way to dropping it, before another break saw him trail 3-1 in the third. He had to reel off seven games on the spin to regain command, but even then limped rather than sprinted over the line.

He took a tumble during a mammoth point in the ninth game of the final set as he struggled to reach a forehand that Tomic nailed to the left of him, and spent time stretching the injury out afterwards.

He insists he is fine, though, and that he was never worried about losing to the boy from the Gold Coast.

“I’m okay. I had to work hard for my points. In some periods of the match I was not feeling great, meaning I wasn’t moving well,” he said.

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“I was expending a lot of energy on rallies. But, to go through to another semi-final is the important thing. I’m delighted.

“I played quite good in the first set and then played one terrible service game and he got back in the match. I was too passive, making a lot of unforced errors.

“We had waves throughout the match where I played better, he played better, I played better. It was quite an even match. I can’t say I played great, but you have to give him credit. He made me work hard.”

Those waves have seen Djokovic go from looking untouchable to being in great trouble during this tournament and, needing to win six more sets to lift a third grand slam title, he knows he needs to raise his level.

“Grass courts are not my favourite surface but I know I can play well on them,” he added. “It’s different circumstances.”

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