Novak Djokovic continues to both impress and surprise after another epic victory at the China Open.
Djokovic has reached the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, having beaten Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal, which ended in controversy. Medvedev was defaulted from the match after hitting a spectator with a ball, although his opponent was closing in on victory at the time. Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3 when the match was brought to an abrupt end.
The 39-year-old now faces Alex de Minaur in the final of the China Open, ahead of which he has caught the attention of Coco Gauff. The WTA superstar, who is also playing at the tournament, was full of praise for the ATP veteran after watching his latest victory.
Coco Gauff praises ‘alien’ Novak Djokovic after he reaches China Open final
Speaking to the media after reaching the round of 16 in Beijing, Gauff was tasked with discussing Djokovic’s 33-0 record at the event, and what that means to her as a young player. She said: “I mean, it’s an alien honestly. I was watching the match. I mean, even from Daniil, it was just like there is no unforced errors to win these points. It was the same level, two hours and whatever, 30 minutes for two sets, which is insane.
“It was an unfortunate ending, but I’m glad it got finished in two sets, otherwise we would be here much later. Novak is an alien. I don’t know how he does it honestly at this age. So good, I don’t know.”
Djokovic is yet to lose a singles match at the China Open, where he has clinched the title a stunning six times. Now playing at the tournament for the first time since, only De Minaur stands in his way of a seventh success.
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Mirra Andreeva inspired by ‘unbelievable’ Novak Djokovic in Beijing
Gauff’s fellow star Mirra Andreeva is also playing at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, and she was also full of praise for Djokovic after her latest match. Shortly after reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open, she said: “I think what he’s doing is unbelievable. He’s achieved, like, I don’t know, he won everything that there is possible to win. He still finds the motivation to play these tournaments, fight and win and beat so many great players.
“I think, of course, it’s a big inspiration for a lot of different players to see that even with such a legend that won everything, he still likes to play, he still enjoys, he still fights. He’s fighting for I don’t know what is his motivation. Maybe he just likes to play tennis and likes to win. For sure he’s a huge inspiration personally for me.”
It’s certainly high praise from Andreeva, who now meets Ekaterina Alexandrova at the China Open, while Gauff takes on Elise Mertens. But for now most eyes will be on Djokovic as he chases further glory, with his dream run having also included wins over Alexander Zverev, Nuno Borges and Yunchaokete Bu. The legendary figure has triumphed in Beijing in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
