For an hour on a sun-drenched Center Court, the inspired ninth seed Norrie outshone the 20-time Grand Slam champion and looked capable of a massive upset in his first major semi-final.
The partisan home crowd cheered as Norrie took advantage of a series of errors from a tense-looking Djokovic to win five games in a row and take the opening set.
However, Djokovic, who was bidding for the fourth consecutive Wimbledon title and seventh overall, found his usual rhythm and gradually took the initiative as Norrie’s level dropped.
From the moment the Serb broke Norrie’s serve in the eighth game of the second set, it was a one-way street.
Norrie fought hard in the fourth set as the crowd found its voice again, but in the end could not resist Djokovic’s advance to a 32nd men’s final of 68 Grand Slam events.
Australian Kyrgios, who received a walkover from injured Spaniard Rafa Nadal in the semi-finals, is now between 35-year-old Djokovic and a 21st Grand Slam title.
Djokovic, who received some booing after gesturing to an interrupting fan after match point, admitted he struggled to master Norrie early on.
“I didn’t start well and he was the better player for the first set,” said Djokovic, who has now won 27 consecutive matches at Wimbledon, dating back to 2017.
“In a Grand Slam semi-final there is always a lot of pressure and expectation, Cameron didn’t have much to lose and was playing the tournament of his life.
“I got lucky at 4-3, he kind of gifted me that game, and then the momentum shifted a little bit.”
LONG ODDS
New Zealand-trained southpaw Norrie had a strong chance of becoming the second professional-era British man to reach the Wimbledon singles final.
They were cut after a surprising first set in which Djokovic, who entered his eleventh Wimbledon semi-final, struggled against Norrie’s depth and accuracy.
A huge roar erupted around the field and on the adjacent mound as thousands on a screen watched Norrie win a net exchange to break the serve in the opening game.
Djokovic answered immediately, but his precision game seemed out of sync as former American college player Norrie ran into the first set.
However, Djokovic is an old hand at dealing with adversity and after changing his racket and donning a white cap, he turned into his metronomic self.
Norrie saved breakpoints at 1-2 and 2-3 in the second set, but Djokovic kept sounding and Norrie missed an easy volley at 3-4 and then a forehand to concede the serve.
Djokovic trailed 0-30 when he served for the set, but took the next four points to tie the game.
Norrie swung a forehand over the baseline to drop the serve at the start of the third and Djokovic seized control as hopes of an oversteer melted in the sun.
The crowd tried to revive Norrie with chants of “Let’s go Norrie, Let’s Go” in the fourth set, but there was more hope than expectation when Djokovic turned the screw.
He will have to start better on Sunday against Kyrgios, with the Australian leading their mutual duels 2-0.
“The work is not finished yet,” he said. “One thing is for sure that there will be a lot of fireworks emotionally from both of us. I have never won a set from him. Hopefully it can be different this time.”
Norrie was born in South Africa, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was three years old.
He rose to No. 10 in the world as a junior while representing New Zealand, but moved to the UK at the age of 16 to pursue his tennis ambitions.
He spent much of 2020 in New Zealand, weathering the first Covid-19 lockdowns with his family, who still live there.