Novak Djokovic, who became the tennis player who has qualified the most times for a ‘grand slam’ semifinal in history on Tuesday, was very grateful for everything tennis has given him since he was a child.
“This sport has given me a lot in my life. Coming from Serbia, a country torn by war in the 90s when I was growing up (…), I was very lucky to find very knowledgeable and very passionate people who supported me, who believed in me and in my talent”, reflected on the track after going to the semifinals of the US Open.
“My parents are here today. I would not be here without their support, without their love and their incredible sacrifice (…). That is the long answer of what goes through my head when I hear those records. There are many things for which “I’m grateful. Obviously, it’s a huge opportunity every time I step on the track at my age. I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll have so I try to enjoy it as much as I can,” he added.
Now with 47 semifinals in a ‘big’, Djokovic surpassed the Swiss Roger Federer (46), with whom he was tied in this statistic until now.
‘Nole’ reached this new milestone, one more in a career full of records and major brands, after defeating the American Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-4 and 6- on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the US Open. 4 in two hours and 35 minutes.
“I think it was a great match. We both had problems, I think a lot physically, especially in the first set or middle set. There was very high humidity. We were sweating a lot, grabbing the towel basically after each point,” he reflected at the wheel. later press.
“But in the crucial moments, I guess I knew how to stay hard and find the right shots, always make him play an extra shot, make him run (…). It was a very solid performance and I’m really happy with the way I played.” added.
Djokovic and Serena Williams are the two tennis players with the most ‘grand slam’ of the Open Era with 23 titles, but the man from Belgrade seeks to match Margaret Court (24), who holds the record, with a victory at the US Open absolute.
In the semifinals of the US Open, he will face the winner of the duel between the Americans Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
In the final, they could face off against the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, current champion of the tournament and with whom he has experienced vibrant and extraordinary duels this year such as the Wimbledon final (victory for the Spaniard) and the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 (victory for the Serbian).
2023-09-06 01:27:56
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