Follow us on Google Discover Novak Djokovic moved one step closer to his 101st ATP title with a big win in Athens.
The Serbian star took down Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, to book his place in the Hellenic Championship semifinals.
There, Djokovic will meet either Marcos Giron or Yannick Hanfmann.
Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images
Djokovic was in control throughout against Borges, although the level was high from start to finish.
During his post-match interview, the ATP world number five gave his assessment of Borges’ performance.
Novak Djokovic admits he was ‘surprised’ by how well Nuno Borges played
After the match, Djokovic was full of praise for his Portuguese opponent.
“It was a very physical battle,” he said.
“I thought that Nuno [Borges] played at a very high level. I must say that I was a bit surprised by how good he played.
“I think we went toe-to-toe most of the match, very few points decided the winner tonight, so he deserves a big round of applause for his performance.”
Djokovic believes it was his serve that fired him into the Athens semifinals.
“I just tried to hang in there, serving well always helps in the important moments,” he said.
“I think it was 5-5 or 4-4 in the first set. I faced the two break points, and I had a couple of big serves, a big second serve that was like a first serve.
PlayerAcesDouble faults1st Serve %Win % on 1st ServeWin % on 2nd ServeBreak pointsNovak Djokovic9169%86%72%1/5Nuno Borges7166%68%58%0/2Serving stats from Novak Djokovic vs Nuno Borges
“Sometimes risk pays off in the right moments. You just have to go for it, trust your instincts, and that’s what happened tonight.
“I played a great tiebreak, in the second set, not too many opportunities really for both of us to break the serve of the other guy. That game when I broke his serve was probably the only game I was able to break him, and that’s what happened.
“All in all, I’m very pleased with the performance.”
Before leaving, Djokovic took the time to thank the fans in Athens for their support.
“Of course, once again, I want to thank everybody for showing up and supporting both of the players tonight. Thank you so much,” he said.
Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images
Speaking on commentary for Sky Sports, Andy Murray’s former coach, Miles Maclagan, certainly thought that the fans got their money’s worth.
“They will not be disappointed. That was impressive,” he said.
“We expect clean ball-striking, but right from the very start… Commanding performance from Novak Djokovic.”
He did, however, take the time to praise Borges for putting on a show in the Greek capital.
“Maybe it just took him [Djokovic] a little longer to shake off Nuno Borges than he might have expected, the Portuguese player is gritty, hung in for a long time, played really well himself,” said Maclagan.
“But just to stay with Djokovic at that level, over that length of time, is not something that many have managed to do.
“We saw his reaction at the end, it meant something to him, he was pushed. An excellent performance from Borges, I hope he’s ok, but it was a display to enjoy from both players.”
Djokovic will now advance to the last four and is just two games away from clinching his 101st ATP title.
Who holds the record for most ATP title wins?
The Serb currently sits third in the all-time list with 100 tour-level titles, but who’s above him?
RankNameCountryTitles1Jimmy ConnorsUSA1092Roger FedererSwitzerland1033Novak DjokovicSerbia1004Ivan LendlCzechia945Rafael NadalSpain926John McEnroeUSA777Rod LaverAustralia728Bjorn BorgSweden66T-9Pete SamprasUSA64T-9Ilie NastaseRomania64Most ATP title wins (Open Era)
Only Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) have won more ATP titles than Djokovic.
Should he go all the way in Athens, he’d close to within two title wins of his former foe Federer in second.
That’s far from a foregone conclusion, though, with two tough challenges still to come.
If Djokovic makes it through to the final, either Lorenzo Musetti or Sebastian Korda would await him.
Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK/APA/AFP via Getty Images
There is no player more motivated on planet earth right now than Musetti, who needs a title in Athens to qualify for the ATP Finals in his home country.
Only time will tell if Djokovic or Musetti can go all the way at the Hellenic Championship, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Djokovic will return to play his semifinal match on Friday, November 7.