BEVERLY HILLS, February 16, (THEWILL) – World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic was given a stern test by sixth seed German Alexander Zverev today at the ongoing Australian Open in Melbourne. The Serb had to dig deep in ferocious fashion to go through to the semi-finals and dump the sixth seed out 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (6).
The top-seeded Djokovic has dominated the first Open of the year for such a lengthy period that he is currently seeking a ninth title at Melbourne. And, like others who have stood in his way, he dismissed the dangerous Zverev to set up an unexpected last-four clash with Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev, the surprise of the event so far.
The abdominal issue that has dogged Djokovic’s play so far in Melbourne returned again, threatening to give the advantage to the exceptional Zverev. After Zverev took the opening set in a tense tie-break, Djokovic switched to his reserves to roar back into the game and never looked like losing it again.
Coincidentally, just as the Serb was clawing back into contention, Zverev’s intensity dropped so alarmingly in the second set that his slender advantage was swiftly erased and Djokovic capitalised to level up the match commandingly with a masterful 6-2.
But the action that will get the most repeat views will be the very real drama that played out in the third set. It came uncharacteristically from Djokovic. A dip in his play allowed Zverev break his serve early in the set and Djokovic’s frustrations got the better of him. He pounded his racket on the ground in fury at a poor return until there was not much left of it.
It led to unusual Grand Slam scenes as both players had to watch a ball kid run onto the court and sweep up the debris on the court with a dustpan and brush before play continued.
The frustration spent and the delay it caused served to Djokovic’s benefit. His performance witnessed an improvement which was not so for the German, as Zverev’s level dropped at what proved to be the crucial stage and a calmer Djokovic won 6-4.
Both players traded breaks of serve in the fourth set with nothing to separate them until Djokovic got the all-important edge at the tail-end of the breaker to claim victory.
Winning the match gave Djokovic a phenomenal 80th victory at Melbourne Park. His ninth semi-final pits him against the improbable challenge of facing the qualifier Karatsev, world number 114, who shocked pundits by defeating 18th seed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2.
In a candid self-assessment in his post-match comments, Djokovic admitted: “I feel drained, honestly,”
Hopefully, for Friday’s semi-final, he will have recovered some of his intensity and none of the drama.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
