Novak Djokovic (5th, Serbia) was embroiled in controversy over a ‘fake injury’ at the Australian Open, the first major tournament of the season. Even though he is playing with a bandage on his left hamstring, his performance is so good. Djokovic, who is called the ‘Man of the Australian Open’ as the holder of the record for the most wins in the men’s singles tournament, continued his cruising toward the top of the 10th Australian Open despite an injury.
Djokovic easily defeated Andrei Rublev (6th place, Russia) 3-0 (6-1 6-2 6-4) in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles tournament held in Melbourne, Australia on the 25th. Djokovic is on a 26-game winning streak at the Australian Open, having lost to Hyeon Chung in the round of 16 in 2018 in the aftermath of an elbow injury. After achieving three consecutive victories in the tournament from 2019 to 2021, the tournament was canceled last year due to non-vaccination of the Corona 19 vaccine, but it is approaching the championship again this year after making a comeback to Australia.
If Djokovic wins the Australian Open again at the age of 36, he will win the men’s singles in his 22nd major tournament and rise to the top spot with Rafael Nadal (2nd, Spain) for the most in this category. It is also the first time in 7 months since June of last year that it regains the world number 1 spot.
Djokovic, whose strengths are tenacious defense and solid play, injured his left hamstring during training ahead of the tournament, casting a cloud over his prospects for the tournament. He appeared in every match with a bandage wrapped around the injured part. As the rally got longer, I could see him struggling a little. Still, there is no way to miss victory. The perfect performance continues, conceding only one set in five matches. In particular, in the round of 16 against Alex Diminore (24th, Australia), who met a young blood who is attracting attention on the tour, and against Rublev on the day, he literally overwhelmed his opponent. The match against Rublev ended in just 2 hours and 3 minutes.
It has often been argued that Djokovic, who is strong in psychological warfare, distracts the opponent’s concentration due to injury. However, Djokovic did not show much reaction to the ‘fake injury controversy’ after the round of 16, saying, “I feel sorry for other players, but it is interesting to suspect that I am ‘fake’ when I am injured.”
It is also easy to meet Tommy Paul (35th, USA) in the quarterfinals. Paul calmed the blast of Ben Shelton (89th, USA), born in 2002, with a strong serve, with a score of 3-1 (7-6 <8-6> 6-3 5-7 6-4) and made it to the semifinals of the first major tournament in his life. rose to It is the first time in 14 years that an American player has advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open since Andy Roddick (retired) in 2009. In the other semifinals, Stefanos Tsitsipas (3rd place, Greece) and Karen Khachanov (20th place, Russia) will compete for the final.
In the women’s singles, Arina Sabalenka (5th place, Belarus) beat Donna Bekic (64th place, Croatia) 2-0 (6-3 6-2). Sabalenka will play the semifinals on the 26th with Magda Linnette (45th, Poland), who defeated Karolina Pliskova (31st, Czech Republic) 2-0 (6-3, 7-5). If they win here, they will meet the winner of the match between Elena Rivakina (25th, Kazakhstan) and Victoria Azaranka (24th, Belarus) in the final.온라인카지노
