No.1 seed Novak Djokovic reached his ninth semifinal at the Australian Open after an emotional quarter-final run at Melbourne Park.
In three hours and 30 minutes mouth water clash on Tuesday, World No.1 Serbian overcame No.6 seed and German Alexander Zverev after a set down(6-7,6-2, 6-4, 7-8). And Djokovic eventually entered into 39th Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open 2021.
“Down to the very last shot, it was anybody’s game, anybody’s match”, the 17-time Grand Slam champion said in his on-court interview.
Table of Contents
“Congratulations To Sascha For A Great Tournament And A Great Battle Today”, says Novak Djokovic
In his 5th Grand Slam quarterfinal match, World No.7 Alexander Zverev exhibited his best standard tennis against 8-time Aussie Open title winner. As a result, the 23-years-old received praise from his 33-years-old opponent, none other than Novak Djokovic.
Serb additionally expressed, “(There were) a lot of nerves out there, a lot of pressure. Emotionally, (I) feel a little drained, honestly. It was a great battle. Congratulations to Sascha for a great tournament and a great battle today. Tough luck today, but we pushed each other to the limit.”
“After [the first set], I just felt I started moving better, playing better. I served extremely well. I had slightly more aces than him (23 to 21) which, for me, is a miracle [when] playing against a big server like Sascha,” Djokovic added.
Read More – “Will Be A Big Challenge”: Rafael Nadal Confident Ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas Clash at Australian Open 2021
“Things Started To Shift A Little Bit For Me In A Positive Direction”, Djokovic on Broke His Racquet
Unfortunately, the six-time year-end World No.1 broke his racquet after failing to a return during the third set. Still, Djokovic later admitted that he felt positive after unleashing his frustration on his racquet.
Djokovic explained “I regained my focus after I broke my racquet (in the third set) and things started to shift a little bit for me in a positive direction. If he won this match, it definitely wouldn’t be undeserved. He was playing really well. It was anybody’s game, and I am just really glad to overcome such a challenge.”
For the Down Under major event championship match spot, Novak Djokovic will now meet Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev on 18 February.
Read More – “Unbelievable Feeling”: Aslan Karatsev Reacts After Reaching Semi-Final at Australian Open 2021