Djokovic's French Open masterclass performance reversed Zverev
Last night, Novak Djokovic proved his dominance at the pinnacle of tennis with his signature performance at Roland Garros, reversing last year's finalist Zverev.
The 38-year-old Djokovic played with a masterful tactical play to advance to a record 51st Grand Slam semi-final with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory. In order to disrupt Zverev's consistent and steady baseline play, Djokovic successfully used more varied tactics to control the match, rewriting his ATP record with Zverev to 9-5.
Djokovic said:
"Especially in the last game, my tactic was to play short, and I played three or four ...... in a row Maybe you can't see it on TV, but there is a side of the scene where the wind is very strong, and it feels like the ball is going to be doubled. It's important to change the style of play. ”
After losing back-to-back first-round exits at the start of the clay season, Djokovic found his best form at the crucial juncture of his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam trophy. He made his debut at the French Open with his 100th Tour title in Geneva and is now on a nine-fight winning streak.
With his 101st win at a Grand Slam on clay, three-time champion Djokovic will face top seed Sinner in the semi-finals, who had beaten Bublik in straight sets.
Djokovic and Sinner have a 4-4 draw in the ATP head-to-head head, but Djokovic has lost three straight games against the Italian.
In the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, Djokovic lost to Zverev with a torn muscle in his left leg, but he redeemed himself with a solid quarter-final match in Paris.
Zverev was expected to reach the semi-finals of the French Open for the fifth consecutive year, but was unable to respond to Deyo's frequent short-ball tactics. Deyo reached the semi-finals of Paris for the 13th time.
In order to shake off Zverev's strong start of the first set 2-0, Djokovic changed his racket early, and the adjustment worked, and he gradually took control. In the eighth game, he blasted his trademark open backhand crossing to create his first break point, but Zverev held serve after a fierce baseline battle and continued to control the first set.
The high humidity on Philippe Chartier made it difficult for both men to penetrate their opponents, but Zverev dominated the first set with his serve – conceding just one point from 18 serves, according to Infosys, and winning the first set with his first ace of the match.
After losing the first set of the tournament, Djokovic responded with a richer tactic: starting from the second set, he countered Zverev's heavy artillery with a delicate touch, and two short balls at key set points were the highlights, and finally equalized.
In the third and fourth sets, Djokovic stuck to his tactics: shortening the round, luring Zverev to the net to attack and defend, but also did not shy away from the fierce baseline tug-of-war. This tactical awareness was key – even when Zverev fought back late in the game, Djokovic remained calm.
In the fourth and sixth games, the two resolved break points in a tug-of-war of 41 shots and running more than 200 meters, which is a classic. In the end, Deyo cashed in his fifth match point after 3 hours and 18 minutes to seal the victory.
In his post-match interview, Djokovic said:
'Obviously there was a lot of pressure at the end and Zverev has been one of the best players in the world for the last few years. But a game like tonight is why I'm still hungry to play and compete. ”
Djokovic verified Becker's point before the game: play not only with your legs, but also with your head!
[Come and see me] [Zuoyi] [Heart] [Wishing you prosperity]
Links
Contact
App
