Even if we could no longer really doubt it, the rise of Novak Djokovic is confirmed a stone’s throw from Roland-Garros. The Serb qualified for the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome this Friday evening by dominating Felix Auger-Aliassime (7-5, 7-6 [1]). The Serb still hasn’t lost a single set since the start of the tournament. “Djoko” will thus play his thirteenth half in the Italian capital.
The harshness of the score is mainly due to the formidable resistance of FAA, who probably played there the best match on clay of his career. The Canadian thus twice recovered a handicap of 5-3 (the second time by dismissing a match point on a winning service) and made life difficult for his opponent, by achieving some magnificent shots. His desire to never let go reinforces the impression of solidity given off by the Serb, especially at the end of the set. Marked by three absolutely exceptional points, including a drop shot out of nowhere which gave him the mini-break (2-0), his decisive game is the most perfect example.
This success, the 999th of his career, allows Djokovic to retain the first place in the world, when the next ATP ranking is published on Monday. In half, he will face Casper Ruud, who beat Denis Shapovalov, earlier in the day.