Djokovic into London semis
Print Edition
The hardest nut in men’s tennis again proved resistant to the heaviest of sledgehammers as Novak Djokovic absorbed the brute force of Juan Martin del Potro to book his place in the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday.
Djokovic’s elastic limbs propelled the Serb to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Group B victory that leaves del Potro to fight it out with Roger Federer for runner-up spot.
Federer, beaten by defending champion Djokovic in straight sets on Tuesday, got back on track with a morale-boosting 6-4, 6-3 victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet who can no longer reach the semifinals even if he beats Djokovic in London today.
The six-time former champion lost the opening six points and needed six match points to finish off Gasquet but looked more like his old majestic self as he produced some champagne moments for his fans.
“I guess those are the kind of matches I need right now. You know, straight sets against a good player. It clearly came at the right time right now,” Federer, who has only one title this year but scooped the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award, as well as the ATP fans’ favorite and Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship awards this week, told reporters.
“There was pressure after losing my first. It was a big win for me and I hope now to keep it up against Juan Martin.”
He had better strap on some heavy armor when he meets del Potro today because the Argentine world No. 5 was striking forehands and serves with fearsome force against Djokovic, even if he did blow himself out in the end.
It would have overwhelmed almost any other player in the world but only rarely did he manage to blast through Djokovic’s defenses as he took the second set.
The last time Djokovic and del Potro locked horns in London back in July they produced the longest Wimbledon semifinal ever — a near five-hour match of relentless baseline savagery.
They were at it again at the O2 Arena on Thursday and although Djokovic won for the 11th time in their 14 encounters there was plenty of evidence to suggest del Potro will be pushing the Serb and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal for the majors in 2014.
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