Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Paris : Serbia's tennis icon Novak Djokovic stormed into the semi-finals of the men's singles event after mounting a memorable comeback against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Djokovic kept hopes of his first Olympic gold alive after securing a 6-3, 7-6 win over Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. In the second set, he was visibly in discomfort and called the physio twice for his right knee.
The seasoned tennis star sailed to a comfortable win in the first set. Tsitsipas relied on his strong backhand game, but Djokovic's precise forehand shots allowed him to dominate the Greece tennis player.
After sealing a 6-3 win in the opening set, Djokovic started to struggle after experiencing pain in his right knee. After going 3-0 down, he called the physio and then again when the scoreline read 1-4.
After receiving the treatment, the Serbian star looked more confident in his movement. He saved three set points at 4-5, trailing by 0/40. He went on to punch his ticket for the semi-final with a 7-6 win in the second set.
His opponent will be Italy's 11th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who produced a remarkable upset by overwhelming the defending Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev.
Musetti defeated the German star with a 7-5, 7-5 win in the quarter-finals. Djokovic recently faced Musetti in the Wimbledon semi-finals and made him taste defeat by clinching a win in three straight sets.
Djokovic, who has an Olympic bronze medal to his name, is in contention of recreating the Wimbledon 2024 final. If he goes on to win his clash against the Italian and Carlos Alcaraz manages to win his final four-match, the duo will square off in the gold medal match.
The Spaniard defeated Tommy Paul with a 6-3, 7-6(7) to bag an opportunity of playing in a medal match in his Olympic debut.
