Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the French Open for the twelfth time, taking the next step towards the only Grand Slam record he aspires to. The Serbian tennis player defeated Russian Karen Khachanov on Tuesday 4:6, 7:6 (7:0), 6:2, 6:4 and lost the first set of the tournament.
“He was the best player for two sets and then I played the perfect tiebreak,” Djokovic said. “I’m glad I made it through this big challenge.” For the first time, he was actually challenged throughout the game for 3:38 hours.
However, the 36-year-old was once again able to rely on his nerves of steel and also won the fifth tie-break in this edition of the classic clay court in Paris. Djokovic extended his record to nine wins in ten fights with Khachanov. World No. 11 recently reached the semi-finals of the US Open and the Australian Open.
Djokovic may continue to hope for his 23rd Grand Slam title, which will leave Spaniard Rafael Nadal behind. More often in the top four at the French Open than Djokovic, only Nadal has been, who has reached the semi-finals 15 times and is out of Paris this year due to injury.
Djokovic now faces the winner of the evening’s game between top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
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