Novak Djokovic, 37, fought off a scare over an injury to his knee besides the large deficit in the second set, and made it to the semi-finals in the Olympic Games for the fourth time on Thursday. Serbian top seed won against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, after aggravating a right knee injury that underwent surgery in June.
Djokovic slipped at the baseline of Court Philippe Chatrier, forcing on-court treatment. He slipped to 0-4 and then 2-5 in the second set but battled back gallantly, saving three set points in the ninth game. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, bidding for his first Olympic gold medal, cruised through the tiebreak to earn his 12th win in 14 meetings with the Greek player.
“I will have to check with my medical team,” Djokovic said regarding his fitness. “I mean, it’s good that I managed to get it done in straight sets and finish the match. But I also finished my fourth-round match at the French Open and then discovered that I had torn my meniscus. I need to see what happens now. I don’t know what to say. It’s day by day. I hope I can be physically fit for tomorrow.”
The Serb will now face Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Friday for a place in the gold medal match.
