The World No.1 and the reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic powered his way through to the quarterfinals after beating Canada’s Milos Raonic in four sets.
The win also ensured that the Serb has created an iconic record by joining the elite 300-wins club at Grand Slams. Djokovic touched Roger Federer who is the only other player to achieve that feat. The win against Raonic came at a moment when Djokovic needed it the most. It will only build his momentum in the Happy Slam.
With this win, Djokovic sets up an epic clash with Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. The duo are very familiar with each other and have faced off seven times in the past.
“Well, Sascha (Alexander Zverev) and I, we get along really well on and off the court. He’s a great guy and we joked around yesterday that we have kind of similar injuries,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview.
The current World No.1 holds high praise for the German youngster on how he is looking to improve and make himself a complete player. In order to compete with the top three in tennis at the moment. Zverev is tall and has developed his all-round gameplay to compliment his monster serves.
“He’s one of the top men’s players in the last five years. He has won the World Tour finals, he has been a Top-5, Top 10 established player for quite a few years right now, even though he’s still young,” Djokovic said about the 23-year old.
“I’m expecting nothing less than a big battle than it was in the ATP cup, so let the better player win absolutely,” the Serbian added.
The prospect of Novak Djokovic not being at his best physically as he struggled in his third-round clash with Taylor Fritz, makes this quarterfinal even more exciting. Zverev has honed his skills and will put up a great fight against Djokovic and the German also has momentum on his side as he won in straight sets against Dusan Lajovic in his fourth-round tie. Therefore it will be a clash between a champion who is aiming to defend his title and a challenger who is set to one of the top players of the next generation.
