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NOVAK DJOKOVIC COMES FROM BEHIND TO SEAL SERBIAN OPEN SEMI-FINAL SPOT

Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down for the second match in a row to defeat compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic and reach the semi-finals of the Serbian Open.

The world number one survived a deciding tie-break against Laslo Djere on Wednesday and found himself up against another fellow Serbian on Thursday.

Kecmanovic has been having an excellent season and held on to an early break to take the first set, but Djokovic hit back from a break down in the second and finished the match playing his best tennis of a disrupted season.

He roared as a final backhand landed inside the line to clinch a 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory and set up a last-four clash with either Karen Khachanov or Thiago Monteiro.

Speaking in his on-court interview, Djokovic, who is playing just his third tournament of the year, said: “I’m very pleased that I’m not going to play a Serbian player for a change because its a very strange feeling sharing the court with your compatriots.

“They are very rare occasions when I’m able to play at home and experience this atmosphere, so I’m trying to enjoy every single moment.”

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC SUFFERS SHOCK DEFEAT IN MONTE CARLO

Novak Djokovic was beaten by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as the world number one’s return to the ATP Tour fell flat at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Playing for the first time since February after skipping the US hard-court swing due to ongoing Covid-19 vaccination issues, Djokovic was beaten 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-1 in just under three hours.

The Serb faced 20 break points and was broken on no fewer than nine occasions as the world number 46 recovered from a major setback in the second set to score the best win of his career.

Djokovic is clearly in need of more match practice if he is to end a torrid year – which saw him deported prior to the Australian Open in January – by improving on his 20 grand slam titles.

A two-time winner in Monte Carlo, Djokovic was staring at a swift defeat when he lost the first set and was then immediately broken at the start of the second.

The Spaniard showed his inexperience with a needless dive at the start of the seventh game of the set, prompting injury fears and enabling Djokovic to reel off 10 points in a row as he broke back to love to wrest the upper-hand.

The momentum swung back in Davidovich Fokina’s direction when Djokovic, serving for the set, conjured four unforced errors to allow his opponent to break back and ultimately force a tie-break.

But having come back from 4-2 down to win the breaker, Djokovic’s recent inactivity told as he was broken three more times in a one-sided deciding set.

Earlier, Britain’s Dan Evans reached the second round after securing a 6-0 7-6 (4) win over Benjamin Bonzi of France.

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TAYLOR FRITZ TAKES INDIAN WELLS TITLE AND ENDS RAFAEL NADAL’S 20-MATCH STREAK

Taylor Fritz Zins the BNP Paribas Open 2022 over Rafael Nadal Esp TENNIS : BNP Paribas Open 2022 - 20/03/2023 AntoineCouvercelle/Panoramic.

Taylor Fritz has snapped Rafael Nadal’s 20-match winning streak as the Californian claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.

There were errors from both throughout as Fritz took the first set and the pair entered a tiebreaker at the end of the second, with neither having lost one at Indian Wells this year in singles.

But it was the 24-year-old, ranked 20th, who emerged victorious to finish 6-3 7-6 (5) over the world number four, with Fritz becoming the first American to win the tournament since Andre Agassi in 2001.

Earlier, Poland’s Iga Swiatek won the women’s title with a commanding victory over Maria Sakkari.

Swiatek rose to number two in the world after a 6-4 6-1 win over her Greek opponent.

“We’ve already started a pretty cool rivalry and I think it’s going to last a few more years so it’s pretty exciting,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview.

“We’re going to play many more finals. Today was pretty crazy because of the conditions. My team did an amazing job.”

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AUSTRALIAN OPEN: NADAL BEATS MEDVEDEV TO WIN RECORD-BREAKING 21ST GRAND SLAM TITLE

Rafael Nadal has won a record-breaking 21st grand slam title, beating Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the Australian Open tennis men’s singles final.

Most of the build-up focused on the historic significance of the Spaniard bidding for his 21st grand slam title, but he found himself under pressure from the start on Rod Laver Arena.

Medvedev stamped his authority on the final by dominating the first set. Nadal saved two break points in a long third game but was then broken to love in the fifth as Medvedev, who was booed onto court by a section of the crowd, proved the steadier from the baseline.

Successive double faults then contributed to a second straight break and Medvedev served out the set 6-2.

There were dramatic scenes with Nadal facing break point serving for the second set at 5-3 when a man waving a banner jumped out of the crowd and down onto the court.

He was only metres from Medvedev but was immediately tackled by several security men and hauled away before the match resumed.

Nadal began to play more offensively in the second set and twice managed to break the Medvedev serve.

But holding his own proved a constant challenge and Medvedev twice responded, saving a set point at 5-3 before hitting back to level.

Into a tie-break they went, and again Nadal led 5-3, but this time Medvedev produced a sequence of fine points to take it 7-5, ending it with a backhand pass and taunting the crowd, who responded with boos.

Nadal had not recovered from two sets down to win a match since beating Mikhail Youzhny at Wimbledon in 2007, while he faded physically after the first two sets against Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini here.

But his competitive desire has never been in doubt and recovering from 0-40 at 2-3 in third set to hold galvanised the Spaniard.

With Medvedev beginning to look weary and muddled in his shot selection, Nadal pounced at 4-4 before serving out the set 6-4.

Medvedev was allowing himself to become increasingly wound up by the crowd, appealing repeatedly to umpire John Blom to control the “idiots”.

His mood was not improved when he double-faulted to drop serve in the third game of the fourth set and, although he got back on terms immediately, Nadal took his seventh break point in the next game.

Nadal created a set point on his opponent’s serve at 5-3, which Medvedev saved, but the 20-time grand slam champion took it 6-4 on his own serve to level the contest.

Both men headed off court for a bathroom break but Medvedev could not break Nadal’s momentum, a trademark forehand passing shot from the Spaniard giving him a 3-2 lead in the deciding set.

The Russian had three chances to break back in the next game but could not take any of them and Nadal was two points away at 30-0 serving at 5-4.

But a double fault proved costly – and betrayed the tension of the moment – and a netted backhand from Nadal saw Medvedev break back for 5-5.

The Russian, though, could not hold his own serve, giving Nadal a second chance to serve for it.

This time he did not falter, bringing up three match points and clinching it 2-6 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 after five hours and 24 minutes at 1.11am local time.

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BRENTFORD SIGN CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN ON SIX-MONTH CONTRACT

Brentford have signed Christian Eriksen to a six-month contract.

They offered the 29-year-old a six-month deal with the option to extend the contract for a further year. Eriksen is a free agent after coming to an agreement with former club Inter Milan to terminate his contract last month.

Eriksen is currently in the Netherlands, training with young players at Ajax. He recently received his COVID-19 vaccination and will only travel to London in the next few days. He will also not train with Brentford this week in order to comply with UK government rules.

He suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s European Championship game against Finland on June 12.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said: “I am looking forward to working with Christian again. It has been a while since I last coached him, and a lot has happened since then. Christian was 16 at the time and has become one of the best midfield players to appear in the Premier League. He has also won trophies all over Europe and become the star of the Danish national team.

“We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a world class player to Brentford. He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months but has done a lot of work on his own. He is fit but we will need to get him match fit and I am looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back towards his highest level.”

Earlier this month, Eriksen stated his ambition to resume his professional career, saying he was targeting a place in Denmark’s squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year.

His agent, Martin Schoots, later said that returning to English football would “feel like coming home”.

Eriksen previously played for Tottenham Hotspur between 2013 and 2020, making over 300 appearances for the north London side.

After being unable to play for Inter due to Serie A’s medical rules about implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), Eriksen was training with Danish club Odense Boldklub — who he played for between 2005 and 2008.

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC DENIED ENTRY TO AUSTRALIA, SEEKING INJUNCTION TO STOP DEPORTATION

Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action during the Davis Cup Finals 2021, Semifinal 1, tennis match played between Croatia and Serbia at Madrid Arena pabilion on December 03, 2021, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Oscar Gonzalez/NurPhoto)

Novak Djokovic, the number one tennis star in the world, was denied entry into Australia on Thursday after initially being granted a medical exemption for the country’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements so that he could play in the Australian Open.

The tennis star, left stranded at Melbourne’s Tullamanrien airport overnight, was issued a letter by the Australian government saying his visa had been denied and he would be deported, a source close to the tournament told Reuters.

The tennis star was filing an injunction to prevent his deportation, the source said.

Djokovic was left stranded at a Melbourne airport overnight, having touched down Wednesday about 11:30 p.m. local time after a 14-hour flight from Dubai.

It emerged that his team had applied for a visa that does not allow for medical exemptions.

That prompted the local government of Victoria, the state where the Open is played, to say it would not support Djokovic’s application.

The extraordinary move by the Australian government to block Djokovic from entering the country because of a mistake on his visa form threatened to cause a diplomatic incident between Canberra and Belgrade.

“I’ve just finished my telephone conversation with Novak Djokovic,” Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic posted on Instagram. “I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately.

“In line with all norms of international law, Serbia will fight for Novak, truth and justice. Novak is strong, as we all know.”

Vucic had summoned the Australian ambassador in Belgrade and demanded that they immediately release Djokovic to play, Serbian media reported.

Djokovic’s father Srdjan said that his son was waiting alone in a room at the airport under armed guard for a final decision on whether he could enter the country.

“I have no clue what’s going on, they’ve kept my son in captivity for five hours now,” Srdjan told the Serbian online version of Sputnik. “If they don’t let him go in half a hour, we’ll gather in the streets, this is a battle for everyone.”

“Not the most usual trip from Down Under,” coach Goran Ivanisevic commented beside an Instagram selfie from the airport lounge, accompanied by face-palm and mind-blown emojis.

Morrison has faced an enormous backlash over his government’s decision to grant Djokovic a medical exemption from vaccination to play at the Open, leading to fingerpointing between the Prime Minister’s conservative administration and the left-leaning Victorian government led by premier Dan Andrews.

Australia, especially the state of Victoria, has endured the world’s longest cumulative lockdown and an outbreak of the Omicron variant has sent case numbers to record levels.

Following the backlash, Morrison suggested Djokovic’s participation was not a done deal and he would have to satisfy the federal government, which has responsibility for international borders and visas and was not part of the exemption process.

Morrison said shortly before Djokovic’s arrival that there would be “no special rules” for him on his exemption.

“If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any different to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home,” Morrison told a media conference earlier.

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ROGER FEDERER OUT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN AND UNLIKELY TO BE FIT FOR WIMBLEDON

Roger Federer has confirmed he will not feature in next year’s Australian Open – and says he would be “extremely surprised” if he plays at Wimbledon.

In an interview with Swiss publication Le Matin, the 40-year-old added that he does not anticipate returning to competition until next summer.

The 20-time grand slam winner is recovering from a series of knee operations.

Federer, who has not played since he lost his quarter-final match against Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon on July 7, said: “I will be able to resume running quietly in January and resume sessions on the court with complex support in March or April.

“Today, I therefore estimate my return to competition in the summer of 2022. I would be extremely surprised if I could play Wimbledon.”

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US Open: Medvedev reaches third straight semi-final, to face Auger-Aliassime

Daniil Medvedev, who lost in the semi-finals a year ago to eventual winner Dominic Thiem, is one of the main candidates aiming to thwart Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam.

World number two Daniil Medvedev dropped his first set at this year’s U.S. Open but eventually overcame Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 to reach his third straight semi-final at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

Van de Zandschulp had enjoyed a remarkable run, taking down 11th seed Diego Schwartzman to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, where he fired off 20 forehand winners and was the first player here to take Medvedev past the two-hour mark.

The Dutch qualifier outlasted the Russian in a 20-shot rally and then converted on break point in the fifth game of the third set before taking it on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the first sign of weakness Medvedev had shown since arriving in New York.

But the 2019 runner-up, who fired down 13 aces in the match, came roaring back in the fourth set, winning all but two of his first-serve points and never facing a break point.

Van de Zandschulp fended off match point in the 10th game, holding his serve to wild applause from a rowdy New York crowd, but Medvedev responded with a quick hold and a break, helped by a double fault from the Dutchman.

The match was the first real challenge of the tournament for Medvedev, who looked on track to flatten yet another competitor at the start after getting up two breaks through the first five games.

The Australian Open runner-up never faced a break point in the second set, which he wrapped up in a brisk 22 minutes, but struggled in the third set, making 13 unforced errors, and van de Zandschulp pounced.

“First two sets were kind of under control. He was missing some balls, some important points,” said Medvedev. “Then third and fourth set was really tough. He played top level, served really big.

“Was breaking the rhythm a little bit, so was really tough set. I’m really happy that in the fourth I managed to, first of all, hold my serve really easily and managed to break him in the end where I had few opportunities to do before also.”

Medvedev, who lost in the semi-finals a year ago to eventual winner Dominic Thiem, is one of the main candidates aiming to thwart world number one Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam – though he is not thinking about facing the 20-times major winner just yet.

“I don’t think about him, because as we saw, anybody can beat anybody. If he’s in the final, and if I’m there, I’m happy,” said Medvedev. He’s also happy, I guess.”

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Novak Djokovic reaches US Open third round despite rowdy spectator

World number one Novak Djokovic insisted he was not acting like a “spoiled brat” after complaining about a noisy spectator during his routine second-round win over Tallon Griekspoor at the US Open.

The Serbian’s quest for a calendar grand slam rarely looked like being derailed after posting a 6-2 6-3 6-2 win over the Dutchman on Arthur Ashe Stadium, even if a fan tried his best.

A rowdy spectator sat courtside was intent on trying to put Djokovic off, shouting right before he attempted an overhead smash, which was subsequently missed.

He continued to call out at key moments, which led the 20-time grand slam champion to complain to the umpire.

But Djokovic said: “When tennis players talk about that, someone who is watching team sports would say, ‘What a spoiled brat’.

“But it’s a different sport. Look, there’s a lot of noise happening on the stadium, particularly in the night sessions. I don’t mind that.

“Even sometimes during the point it happens that people out of excitement, they just scream or they release like a sound or whatever, sigh, whatever you call it. And that’s fine.

“But if someone intentionally does it over and over again, then I have tolerance up to a certain point, then it’s not correct, then it’s not fine. It’s not fair. I feel like it’s not good for us players.

“I mean, particularly that guy for some reason was calling, raising the sound and kind of screaming just before I would hit my smash, which was a big point. Before that he would do a few times. After that again.

“That wasn’t nice. That’s all. I don’t mind the noise. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s important for the entertainment, for the crowds, the music.

“I get it. But if someone does it over and over again, particularly when you are at his side, he knows why he’s doing it.

“The guy that I pointed out, he knew exactly what he was doing, and that’s all.”

Djokovic is aiming to add the US Open to his 2021 collection of Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles and will next face Kei Nishikori.

The Japanese, who last beat Djokovic in 2014 on his way to the final at Flushing Meadows, needed five sets to beat American Mackenzie McDonald.

Alexander Zverev reached the third round in ruthless fashion as he swept past Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The fourth seed needed just an hour and 14 minutes to record a 6-1 6-0 6-3 win over his beleaguered Spanish opponent and make it 13 victories in a row.

Zverev, who appears the biggest obstacle to Novak Djokovic’s hopes of clinching the calendar Grand Slam, is riding a golden wave following his Olympic triumph and lost just nine points on serve in the match.

The German reached his first slam final at Flushing Meadows last year and led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love before the Austrian somehow found a way back.

“It was painful,” said Zverev. “I still remember it every single time I walk on this court but I take it as motivation because I’m back here, I have the opportunity to do better, I have the opportunity to hopefully play a great tournament, hopefully play for a grand slam title.”

Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini did not have things all his own way against Frenchman Corentin Moutet but came through 7-6 (2) 4-6 6-4 6-3 while 22nd seed Reilly Opelka was a 7-6 (1) 7-5 6-4 winner over young Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

There was a shock on Court Five, where veteran Italian Andreas Seppi, playing in an 18th consecutive US Open, defeated 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz 2-6 6-4 6-4 7-6 (6).

Seventh seed Denis Shapovalov made light work of Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, winning 7-6 (5) 6-3 6-0.

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ROGER FEDERER OUT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER FURTHER KNEE SURGERY

Roger Federer has revealed he faces “many months” out of the game as he prepares to undergo further knee surgery.

The 40-year-old, who missed the Tokyo Olympics with a knee injury after losing in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, said he had opted for another operation to give himself “a glimmer of hope” of returning to competition.

“I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and also out of the game for many months,” he said in a video on Instagram on Sunday evening.

Federer, who will miss the upcoming US Open, said: “I just wanted to give you a bit of an update about what’s been going on since Wimbledon, as you can imagine it’s not been simple.

“I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors as well on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass court season in Wimbledon and it’s just not the way to go forward.

“Unfortunately for the medium to long term to feel better I will need surgery so I decided to do it.”

The former world number one, who has won a joint record 20 grand slam titles with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, admitted he did not know whether he would be able to return to top-level tennis, only that his desire to come back to the tour remained.

He added: “It’s going to be difficult of course in some ways, but at the same time I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy, I want to be running around later as well again and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form.

“I am realistic. Don’t get me wrong, I know how difficult it is at this age to do another surgery and try it. I want to be healthy, I will go through the rehab process I think also with a goal, while I’m still active, which I think is going to help me during this long period of time.