Novak Djokovic joked he will need two rackets to combat Marin Cilic's serve after both men progressed to the final of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen's Club.
Djokovic was given a tough examination by Jeremy Chardy in Saturday's semifinal but came through 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
The former world number one was furious with the umpire early in the second set after he was adjudged to have touched the net and surrendered a point that allowed Chardy to hold serve.
But he did break, courtesy of a deep forehand that Chardy could only send limply back into the net, in the ninth game and duly held to clinch a victory that moved Djokovic a win away from a first title since July 2017 as he bids to return to his best after well-documented struggles with form and fitness.
In a more jovial mood after his success, 12-time grand slam champion Djokovic - whose win saw him tie Stefan Edberg in ninth on the ATP's all-time Open Era win list, told BBC Sport: "I was obviously pleased to go through to the finals.
"It's been a while that I have played for a title so this is definitely a special moment for me, considering what I've been through in the last year or so. It's a great occasion.
"I would lie if I said I wasn't ambitious, coming to every tournament hoping I can play the way I know I can play and I have ability to play. I'm always hoping I can go all the way."
Asked if he had a secret plan for returning Cilic's serve, Djokovic replied: "Two rackets. I'm going to have one racket in the right hand and one in the left and hopefully it's going to surprise him."
Cilic was actually outgunned in terms of serving in his win over Nick Kyrgios, who fired down 16 aces to the Croatian's 11.
But the former US Open champion did not face a break point in the entire match against the Australian, winning both sets on a tie-break in a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) success.
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