Djokovic reaches Paris Olympics quarterfinals, Medvedev out

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball in opposition to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer through the males’s single tennis competitors on the Roland Garros stadium, on the Paris Olympics 2024, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Picture/Manu Fernandez)

PARIS — Novak Djokovic is again within the Summer time Video games singles quarterfinals for the fourth time in 5 appearances on the Olympics. What he actually desires, after all, is a gold medal, just about the one important achievement lacking from his exceptional resume.

Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia who’s the top-seeded man in Paris, wanted a little bit of time to claim himself Wednesday earlier than taking management with a five-game run for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Dominik Koepfer of Germany.

A prime participant on the opposite half of the boys’s bracket, 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev — a Russian who, like everybody from his nation, should compete underneath the label “Particular person Impartial Athletes,” recognized by the French acronym AIN — exited with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.

READ: Paris Olympics: ‘Relieved’ Djokovic races previous Rafael Nadal

Medvedev entered the day with a 7-0 head-to-head document in opposition to Auger-Alissime however is not any fan of enjoying on clay: 5 of his eight French Opens ended within the first spherical. Medvedev reached six Grand Slam finals, all on arduous courts, with two of the 5 defeats at that stage coming in opposition to Djokovic.

Already the proprietor of a males’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles and extra weeks at No. 1 than anybody within the historical past of the computerized tennis rankings, Djokovic has proclaimed success at these Olympics his precedence for the yr. His one medal to date was a bronze in 2008 at Beijing after dropping to rival Rafael Nadal within the semifinals; Djokovic additionally was crushed within the semifinals by the eventual champions at London in 2012 (Andy Murray) and at Tokyo three years in the past (Alexander Zverev).

“The purpose,” Djokovic stated, “is to interrupt that barrier of the semifinals.”

Daniil Medvedev of Russia reacts in opposition to Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada through the males’s single tennis competitors on the Roland Garros stadium, on the Paris Olympics 2024, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Picture/Manu Fernandez)

The true purpose, after all, is gold.

Requested whether or not he thinks Djokovic can lastly do this, Koepfer stated: “I hope so. It’s about time. He tried many instances and he deserves it. One of many biggest gamers ever.”

Subsequent up for Djokovic will likely be a well-known foe in a well-known setting: On Thursday, Djokovic meets Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece for a spot within the closing 4. It’s a rematch of the 2021 closing on the French Open — which is contested every year at Roland Garros, the positioning getting used for these Video games — and Tsitsipas took the primary two units that day earlier than Djokovic got here again to win in 5.

READ: Paris Olympics: Nadal retains Olympic flame burning, Murray again from the brink

“One of the best factor that you may have as a tennis participant is to have the reminiscence of a goldfish, in order that’s what I’ve been making an attempt to work on,” stated Tsitsipas, who beat Sebastian Baez of Argentina 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday.

“I’ve really erased it,” stated Tsitsipas, additionally the runner-up to Djokovic on the 2023 Australian Open.

Additionally shifting into the quarterfinals was Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old from Spain who gained the French Open in June and Wimbledon 2 1/2 weeks in the past to lift his Slam whole to 4, Tommy Paul of the U.S. and Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. Alcaraz and Paul will play one another within the quarterfinals, a rematch from Wimbledon, the place Alcaraz gained in the identical spherical.

In opposition to Koepfer, Djokovic was patchy in elements on the outset, not as crisp as when he received previous Nadal in straight units within the second spherical. This one was 5-all within the first set, with Koepfer ripping large forehands to handle to steer Djokovic alongside the baseline.

Djokovic would lookup at his field, the place his spouse, Jelena, and their son had been seated. He typically put his arms out and muttered — as a lot to himself as to them.

However he took the final two video games of the primary set, eliciting chants of his two-syllable nickname from the gang: “No-le! No-le!” When Koepfer trudged to the sideline, he chucked his racket at his bench.

Djokovic then started the second set by going up 3-0. That’s when Koepfer was visited by a coach to get therapy for a blister on his left center finger.

Koepfer is a 30-year-old left-hander who has a sub -.500 profession document, solely as soon as made it so far as the fourth spherical at a Grand Slam match, is presently ranked No. 70 and by no means climbed larger than No. 49.

Djokovic was sporting a grey sleeve on his proper knee, which was operated on in Paris in early June after he tore the meniscus throughout a French Open match. Surprisingly, he participated at Wimbledon lower than a month after the operation and made all of it the best way to the ultimate earlier than dropping to Alcaraz.

Now Djokovic is the primary man to succeed in the singles quarterfinals 4 instances on the Olympics since tennis returned to the Summer time Video games in 1988.