Novak Djokovic matches Roger Federer’s record and conquered the 46th Grand Slam semifinal of his career, overcoming Andrey Rublev with a score of 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarters of Wimbledon 2023.
The Serbian champion, as often happens, managed to make the difference in the important moments of the match, and completed the comeback against the Russian tennis player in a match that lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes of play.
In the press conference, Nole explained: “Match of great quality. I think we both played well. He put a lot of pressure on me by coming off blocks very quickly and shooting very hard from the baseline. He often took control of rallies thanks to his forehand, his greatest weapon.
He played better than me in the last part of the first set, but I managed to regroup and get the break at the beginning of the second. I think that was the key to really changing the game.”
Djokovic: “I can’t wait to face Sinner”
The Serb then added: “Lost to Rublev in Belgrade? It’s different. Of course it doesn’t compare to playing in a Grand Slam and playing in a 250 event. I’ve faced the best version of him in a Slam. It’s what you expect from a player like him, a hard worker, very dedicated to the sport. He is always trying to improve, and his improvements are visible. I think he played terrific tennis today. I felt huge relief when I took the third set.”
Djokovic’s next opponent will be Jannik Sinner. The two challenged each other at Wimbledon in an unforgettable match last year. After leading by two sets, the Italian was unable to complete the job and underwent a painful comeback.
Nole said about his young opponent: “We played practically at the same time. I saw his first set, he is expressing a very high level. He likes to play on grass and fast surfaces in general, because he wants to be aggressive and take control.
He smashes the ball with both forehand and backhand. I know his game well. He’s still very young, so obviously he’s expected to improve. He’s definitely improving, I think with the serve. He is serving better.
On the grass obviously he makes the difference. He is a complete player. I look forward to taking on this challenge. We both have two days to recover. I’m sure he will be very, very motivated to win. On the other hand, so am I.”