World No.1 Novak Djokovic gave it all to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and reach the semifinals of the Italian Open 2021. Djokovic again triumphed in the toughest of situations and won a three-hour thriller. Unsurprisingly, the tennis community was stunned by this valiant effort.
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Novak Djokovic celebrates during his quarter-final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Djokovic played catch-up to Tsitsipas from the start of the match. He lost the first set and was 4-2 behind in the second set. As the match was not continuous, the Serbian couldn’t forge a momentum shift. Yet, Djokovic made his first comeback in the second set.
Later, Djokovic was again down in the final set, 3-1 and Tsitsipas even served for the match, but Djokovic broke back in the tensest situation and moved ahead. Seeing this former World No.1 Andy Roddick reiterated Djokovic’s mental toughness in these situations.
“Gritty gritty effort from Novak. Nobody feels safer in the tough moments. Can find the corners/switch directions w plenty of margin. Makes it look easy. I promise it’s not.”
WTA tennis player Alize Cornet was spellbound with the match and was glued to her television, watching the epic.
“Omg this match between Stef and Novak. Unbelieveble level !”
Omg this match between Stef and Novak 😱🤯😱 Unbelieveble level ! @InteBNLdItalia #gluedtothetv
Novak Djokovic stuns everybody in start-stop match at Italian Open 2021
The match had multiple breaks because of rain. It was originally scheduled to get over yesterday, but lasting showers in Rome prevented that. Tsitsipas was at his peak yesterday and started ahead when the play resumed. But Djokovic resisted and extended the match slowly to bring parity.
After losing the second set, Djokovic still looked a bit behind as Tsitsipas eyed a crucial win. The Greek did everything in his arsenal to win, but Djokovic held on. Serving at 5-4 in the last set, Tsitsipas gave away the opportunity to Djokovic. Yet, Tsitsipas saw a break point when Djokovic was serving at 5-5. Djokovic held on and pressured Tsitsipas’ serve and found the victory. He will now play home favorite, Lorenzo Sonega, in the semifinals.
Comeback complete 👊 🇷🇸 @DjokerNole twice recovers from a break down in the decider to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. #IBI21
This is a huge boost for Djokovic before Paris, all the talk about insufficient preparation doesn’t hold up. Exactly what Nadal got against Shapovalov, but even more so because of the opponent. Tsitsipas lost, but once again proved he is the top challenger at Garros.
Novak Djokovic comes back from 2-4 in the 2nd and from 1-3 and 4-5* in the 3rd, beats Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in 3h16 to reach the semifinals in Rome. Incredible match. [getty]
A Roman Revival! 🇮🇹 The moment @DjokerNole completed a stunning victory over Tsitsipas to advance to his eighth consecutive Rome semi-final... #IBI21
I don’t know any other athlete who fights like Novak. They’re making him play two matches in a day, and he’s astoundingly ticked off the first. None like you, @DjokerNole 🐊♥️
