The tennis world witnessed a really intriguing contest at the Italian Open 2021. World No.1 Novak Djokovic made an incredible comeback from a set down to defeat World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Playing in the quarter-finals, Djokovic played some amazing tennis to beat the Greek player in a really close encounter. The final scoreline of the match was 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
In the post-match interview, Djokovic mentioned it felt as if he and Stefanos Tsitsipas had played two matches. The Serbian legend highlighted that Tsitsipas was the better player yesterday, but that he bounced back in the match today.
“There are many things to say about this match. I feel like we’ve played two matches, and we did. Yesterday he was the better player and started better today, but I’ve managed to hold my nerves and break his serve in important moments,” said Djokovic in the interview.
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Novak: There are many things to say about this match. I feel like we’ve played two matches, and we did. Yesterday he was the better player and started better today, but I’ve managed to hold my nerves and break his serve in important moments.
— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) May 15, 2021
It is surely amazing how Djokovic fought back in the match against Tsitsipas. Yesterday, it was Rafael Nadal who made an incredible comeback against Denis Shapovalov and today, Djokovic too didn’t let a next-gen player defeat him.
“One shot decided the winner today”- Novak Djokovic
Djokovic mentioned that he felt good after watching the crowd and it was great to play in front of them. He stated that a bit of luck, along with the right tactics, worked for him during the match. The World No.1 player also emphasized that it was just a single shot that decided the winner of the match.
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“Support of the crowd was amazing. It’s great to play in front of them. Bit of luck, bit of mental strength, and bit of the right tactics at the right time. One shot, not one point, one shot decided the winner today,” added the 18-time Grand Slam winner.
Djoker clearly managed to clinch this match from the jaws of defeat. Interestingly, he even became quite frustrated at one point of time and smashed his tennis racquet.
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Novak Djokovic will next face Lorenzo Sonego in the semi-finals of the Italian Open 2021 today only. The Italian defeated Andrey Rublev in the quarters and can prove to be a big challenge for the Serbian. Will Djokovic be able to defend his title in Rome this year?