Novak Djokovic reached the finals of the ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade. The Serb beat Karen Khachanov in three sets to enter the semi-finals of the Serbian Open in front of his home crowd. The world no. 1 seemed to be getting his grip back on the clay court after a disappointing second-round defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters. Nole looked a little rusty initially at the start of his matches. But the Serb revealed that he started to feel the ball and served well in the second set after his semi-final victory.
Further, Djokovic took a shot at Wimbledon for banning Russian tennis players from the upcoming Grand Slam event because of the Russian war against Ukraine. The 34-year-old criticized the All England Tennis Club\’s decision to ban Russian players from the tournament. Nole said that politics is affecting sports which is not a good sign. He is against the suspension of any athlete, not only tennis players. Novak believes that the athletes have no contribution to the Russian war and must not be punished for it.
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Moreover, Djokovic thinks that the higher-ups at Wimbledon are robbing the Russian athletes of their right to compete. The world no. 1 pointed out that tennis has an anti-discrimination rule which states that the players play based on their rankings and not their nationality. Novak added, \”So Wimbledon has violated this rule.\”
Djokovic Is Getting Closer To Desired Match Fitness Ahead Of Roland Garros
Djokovic had a good run at the Serbian Open, where he reached the finals in Belgrade. However, the Serb had a tough final against Andrey Rublev, who defeated Nole by 6-2, 7-6, and 6-0 to lift the Serbian Open title. Novak opened up about his current mindset and preparations for the upcoming tournaments.
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Moreover, the Serb told that the second and third sets against Khachanov were the two best sets of the season for him. Nole also commended Khachanov for playing well. Djokovic shared that it was an important victory for him playing at home. He also thanked his home crowd for their incredible support, which has motivated Nole to play at his best level. Novak Djokovic added, \”I\’m getting close to the level I want to reach.\”
Djokovic will play the Madrid Open next, where he might face Rafael Nadal in the latter stages of the tournament. Nadal is returning from a rib stress fracture. And the duo has not faced each other since Novak\’s semi-final win against Rafa during the Roland Garros semi-finals last year.
