Geneva: Novak Djokovic celebrated his 38th birthday in commanding fashion on Thursday by securing a spot in the Geneva Open semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi. The win not only marked a measure of revenge for last month’s Madrid Open loss but also brought the Serbian tennis legend two wins closer to his milestone 100th ATP career title.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is now set to face Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who advanced after staging a comeback to defeat Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Djokovic will be aiming to reach the Geneva final for the first time, having fallen in the quarter-finals to Tomas Machac last year.
“It’s great to be in the semi-finals again. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further, that’s the goal,” Djokovic said following his victory. “I think I’m playing really good tennis. A straight-sets win, but it was much closer than the score indicates.”
After clinching the first set, Djokovic faced a 1-4 deficit in the second before rallying with five consecutive games to close out the match in just over an hour and 40 minutes. His fightback was marked by a rare emotional outburst when he smashed his racket—something he admitted helped him regain his mental focus.
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“After the racquet breaking I kind of found my optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to be able to play my best tennis when it was most needed,” said Djokovic, who was also surprised with a birthday cake on court after his victory.
Now within striking distance of becoming only the third man in ATP history to win 100 career titles—joining the legendary Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103)—Djokovic continues to make history with every appearance on court.
