Novak Djokovic smashed his racket into the clay after being broken by Matteo Arnaldi on his birthday at the Geneva Open. Djokovic was a set up and cruising in the quarter-finals when Arnaldi began to gather momentum in the second.
The Italian hustled his way to two break points at 2-1 up and converted one of them thanks to Djokovic’s backhand going long. Falling back to 3-1 down and staring at the possibility of Arnaldi serving to widen his advantage, Djokovic completely lost his cool. Immediately after the ‘out’ call was made, the 38-year-old launched his racked into the ground and destroyed it with one hit.
The Geneva crowd voiced their disapproval at Djokovic’s furious outburst as boos and jeers rang out around Centre Court. With the second set getting away from him and his temper flaring, it looked as though the veteran would be taken the distance in Switzerland.
But he regathered his composure and clawed his way back into the second set before winning five games on the spin to take the match 6-4 6-4. Victory will have tasted extra sweet for Djokovic after losing to Arnaldi in the first round of the Madrid Open less than a month ago.
After getting revenge, the 24-time Grand Slam winner said: “It’s great to be in the semi-finals again. Last year I played in the semi-finals, hopefully this year I can go at least a step further. That’s the goal.
“I think I’m playing really, really good tennis. Today, there was a lot of tension on the court. It was a straight-sets win but it was much closer than maybe the score indicates. I was 4-1 down in the second and somehow I didn’t lose the game.
“I kind of found my optimal state and balance, mentally and emotionally, to really be able to play the best tennis when it was most needed. Hopefully I can take that into tomorrow.”
The smile on Djokovic’s face got even wider when a show-stopping birthday cake, complete with sparklers, was carried out onto the court. He afforded himself a bite of the chocolate decoration but then handed it back as he prepares to switch focus to his upcoming semi-final.
Geneva is Djokovic’s last opportunity to find form ahead of the French Open, where he has been drawn against Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk