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Novak Djokovic defeated the Canadian Denis Shapovalov for the eighth time in a row and gained access to the semifinals of the Adelaide 1 ATP 250 tournament. Despite the result, the match turned out to be very even and was decided by the details.
The serve failed Shapovalov in the most important moments and several double faults condemned him on more than one occasion. During the first set, Djokovic canceled two break points in the opening game and one at 2-2. The first chance granted by Shapovalov on service resulted in the break that allowed Djokovic to close the set.
The Serbian champion started strong in the second half of the game, but experienced his first real empty pass of the day in the sixth game, when he lost his serve after leading 40-0. The Canadian saved himself in the next innings, but made many gratuitous errors at 4-4.
Djokovic did not let his chance slip by and conquered the semifinals of the Australian event.
Djokovic: "Medvedev is one of the toughest opponents"
In the penultimate act of the tournament, the Serbian player will find Daniil Medvedev on the other side of the net.
The two have already faced each other twelve times in their careers and the Serbian leads 8-4 in the calculation of direct clashes. The Russian has expressed words of great admiration towards his next rival. Djokovic returned the favor at the press conference.
Nole told: "Respect is mutual, of course. Also the quality of understanding how good a tennis player is on the court. He has now been a stable top player for four or five years. He is one of the best tennis players on the circuit, he was number one and won a Grand Slam tournament.
He's strong mentally in the big moments, has a great serve and a really complete game. Obviously he's continuing to improve. I can't remember exactly, but I think only one or two of the twelve games he played went easily one way or the other.
Many encounters were balanced. This is what I expect tomorrow, because the conditions in the afternoon are a bit different. The field is a little slower. So I guess there will be a lot of long exchanges and I'll have to get ready.
I know what I need to play against him. We're both playing well, I've watched some of his games this week. He is hitting the ball very, very well. He doesn't give you that many free points. He has a great serve and manages to get rid of his batting turns easily. He forces you to work hard during your serve games. He is certainly one of the toughest players to face."