Novak Djokovic eliminated Yannick Hanfmann from the ATP Athens with a decisive 6-3, 6-4 win on Friday. Only 2 times of the whole tournament (only once in his last 4 matches), the 38-year-old Serbian dropped his service but he had everything under control and he only needed 79 minutes to get the job done and move on to the next round.
The statement can hardly be more obvious: composed and clinical. The 4th semi-final defeat in a row (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the US Open, and Shanghai) is now behind the Serb. The last semi-final which he won was in May at the Geneva Open where he later went on to grab his 100th career singles title. Federer (103) and Connors (109) are the only ones ahead of him.
Djokovic was forced to concentrate and acknowledge it especially when Hanfmann was stepping on the court with his big shots. “Probably the best tennis I played in this tournament and the right moment for it,” he said. “Just to remind you, Hanfmann has a big game so I had to be very sharp.
”The Serb had the first set under his belt after breaking at 3-2 and when he was broken early in the second, he quickly fixed it, broke back immediately, and controlled the court to match point.Next up is either Sebastian Korda or Lorenzo Musetti.
