Novak Djokovic is now 9-0 in the Paris Masters semi-finals, and will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov for the title.
Novak Djokovic maintained his perfect record in the Paris Masters semi-finals. (Source: Getty Images) |
In the semi-finals at the Paris Masters, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic maintained his perfect record when he made an impressive comeback to win against Andrey Rublev.
Djokovic beat fifth seed Rublev 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 to reach the Paris Masters final and bid for a seventh title. The Serbian fought hard despite needing medical attention for a back problem, but eventually won after three hours.
Djokovic said after the match: "Rublev suffocated me like a snake suffocating a frog for most of the match. He played at a very high level, I would say excellent. I don't think I've ever faced a Rublev who played so well."
Djokovic is now 9-0 in the Paris Masters semi-finals and will face Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian who beat Stefanos Tstisipas 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) in the first semi-final.
"I had a pretty bad stomach virus that really made me feel terrible for the last three days, but somehow I managed to find the strength, find the energy with the adrenaline rush when I played on the court," Djokovic said when asked what he was most proud of this week as he looks to win his seventh title in Paris.
"Don't give up, fight and believe I can come back, it happened again and hopefully it can happen tomorrow."
Although Djokovic broke the first serve of the match, Rublev quickly claimed a successful break. The Russian put on a lot of pressure, especially in Djokovic's serve games. After saving a triple break-point in the eighth game, Djokovic lost the break in the twelfth game and had no chance to make up for his mistake when Rublev sealed the victory 7-5.
In the second set, Djokovic played solidly and only saved a break-point once in the second game. Rublev had a difficult game 5 and 7 but still successfully defended the game to bring the set to a tie-break. Winning full points on serve and having 2 mini breaks, Djokovic won 7-3.
Rublev was inconsistent at crucial moments. (Source: Getty Images) |
The deciding set was tight, Djokovic did not give his opponent a chance to break the game. Rublev seemed to be nervous in game 12, especially after giving his opponent 2 match-points, the Russian player made a double fault allowing Djokovic to win 7-5.
"I had a little bit of a physical problem at the beginning, but I overcame that. Obviously winning the second set was very important. In the tie-break, I served well and that helped a lot," Djokovic shared.
"In the third set, I thought I always had a chance in Rublev's service games. He hit some big serves when he needed to, but in the end he double-faulted. It was an unfortunate end for him, but I deserved the win considering the effort and fight I showed, especially in the third set."
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