Djokovic, Nadal to meet in final

WIMBLEDON, England — There is no end in sight to Britain's wait at Wimbledon, not with Rafael Nadal of Spain smothering Andy Murray on his home turf once more.

But Novak Djokovic's wait to get to No. 1 in the world is certain to end when next week's computer rankings are released.

Djokovic's deeply convincing, deeply entertaining victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Friday's first semifinal means that for the first time in more than seven years, someone other than Nadal or Roger Federer of Switzerland will hold the top spot.

"They don't give you a lot of chances to become number one," said Djokovic, a 24-year-old from Serbia who is 47-1 this season. "So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there. If you can do that, then well done."

Well done then to Djokovic for absorbing all of Tsonga's power, showmanship and momentum on Centre Court and answering with plenty of his own to win 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 6-3.

"I can beat everybody today, but not Djokovic," No. 12 seed Tsonga said. "He was everywhere."

Djokovic and Nadal will meet in Sunday's final.

Djokovic has defeated Nadal four straight times, but top-ranked Nadal has won 20 consecutive matches at Wimbledon.

Though they have not met each other on grass since 2008, Djokovic is 0-2 on the surface against Nadal, who has won two Wimbledon titles.

Both of them are incredibly consistent with their success and so dominant the last couple years. They don`t give you a lot of chances to become No. 1," said the 24-year-old Djokovic, beaten in last year`s U.S. Open final by Nadal. "So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there. If you can do that, then well done."

Yes, Djokovic deserves to hear a "Well done!" or two for his surge, which he says stems in part from the confidence and pride he gained while leading Serbia to its first Davis Cup title in December. His two wins against France during the final series at Belgrade started a 43-match streak that ended with a semifinal loss to Federer at the French Open a month ago.

Otherwise, Djokovic has been perfect. He won the first seven tournaments he entered this year -- including the Australian Open in January -- and beat Nadal in four finals.

"His total game is really complete," said Nadal, who is 16-11 against Djokovic, including 5-0 at Grand Slam tournaments. "Good serve, very good movements. ... His eyes are very fast, and he can go inside the court very easy playing very difficult shots.