Novak Djokovic is one of the most clutch players tennis has ever seen. He displayed his ability to bounce back when pushed into the corner at the ATP Belgrade Open so far. In his tournament opener in Belgrade against compatriot, Laslo Djere, Djokovic was a set and break of serve down. However, refusing to yield, the 20-time Major champion pulled off a sensational 2-6 7-6 7-6 victory in close to three and half hours to record his first win on clay this season.
He survived another scare in his come-from-behind quarterfinal victory against Miomir Kecmanovic on Thursday. After dropping the opening set 4-6, Djokovic produced some vintage tennis to overcome the 22-year-old in three sets to book a spot in the semifinal in his home tournament in Belgrade. In pursuit of his first title this season, the 34-year-old Serb will lock horns against Karen Khachanov in the semifinals at ATP Belgrade Open.
While Djokovic’s run to the semifinals has been nothing short of remarkable, Khachanov’s journey to his last four clash has been smooth sailing. After receiving a walkover in his opening clash, the third seed recorded a straight-sets 7-5, 6-4 victory over Thiago Monteiro to storm into the semifinals in Belgrade.
Djokovic dominates Khachanov 5-1 in their head-head record so far on the ATP tour. In their only clash on clay, Djokovic produced a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over his younger opponent at Roland Garros in 2020. In their most recent clash, the Serb managed to prevail 6-3, 7-6(2) in Dubai in one of the rare wins of his controversy-marred season. The upcoming semifinal between two strong baseliners promises to be a mouth-watering contest. However, both Djokovic and Khachanov have a fair share of problems to deal with as they aim for a spot in the final.
Despite his twin come-from-behind victories so far in Belgrade, Djokovic appears to be rusty and tentative since his comeback to the tour last week in Monaco. Of late, Djokovic has been slow to start off the blocks, dropping the opening set quite often. He should be hoping to get rid of that pattern to settle down early in his matches as he plans to build momentum in the lead-up to the French Open, where he is the defending champion.
While Djokovic struggled to put away his opponents so far at the Serbia Open, he should be delighted after spending much-needed time on the court. Khachanov, on the other hand, is lacking consistency on the tour so far this season. Despite a final and semifinal finish in Adelaide and Doha respectively, the 25-year-old has suffered multiple early-round exits so far in 2022. With Djokovic far away from his best, Khachanov can certainly sniff more than a chance against the Serb. Khachanov is eyeing his second final of the season.
Against Khachanov, Djokovic will face his biggest test so far at the Serbia Open. He needs to be clutch in his service games against Khachanov. The Serb should be hoping for improved performance, especially in that department, in his semifinal contest. Khachanov, on the other hand, must grab his chances and choose the right moments to be aggressive to mount pressure on Djokovic. The 25-year-old should hope to capitalize on Djokovic’s tentativeness at the start to gain an early ascendance in the contest. He cannot afford to let Djokovic off the hook and must aim to limit his unforced errors if he fancies upsetting the Spaniard.
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