Djokovic digs deep to edge Zverev and reach semifinal
Serbian world No 1 makes it through to his 39th Grand Slam semifinal
Melbourne — Reigning champion Novak Djokovic overcame several dips in form to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 7-6(6) and book his place in the Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday.
The Serbian world No 1 hit back strongly after losing a tight opening set on a tiebreak but trailed in both the third and fourth sets before turning them around. German sixth seed Zverev will rue allowing Djokovic back from 4-1 down in the third set and he was also up 3-0 in the fourth.
Djokovic again wore tape on his abdominal area, a legacy of the injury picked up in his third-round win over Taylor Fritz. But it did not appear to bother him as he reached his 39th Grand Slam semifinal, where he will face an unlikely opponent in Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev.
“After the tiebreak, I felt like I started moving better, I started serving better and ended up with more aces than him, which is a miracle against someone like Sacha,” Djokovic, whose route to the semifinals has been a struggle, said.
“There were lots of nerves out there, emotionally I feel a little drained, it was a great battle, tough luck to Sacha. We pushed ourselves to the limits.”
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