By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday January 28, 2020
Novak Djokovic eased past Milos Raonic to book a date with Roger Federer in the Australian Open semifinals.
Photo Source: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Seven-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic pushed past Canada’s Milos Raonic to set a semifinal date with Roger Federer at the Australian Open on Tuesday in Melbourne.
The Serb locked up a 6-4 6-3 7-6(1) victory in two hours and 49 minutes to move two victories from the title, striking 29 winners against 14 unforced errors and never surrendering a break point to improve to 10-0 lifetime against Raonic.
Djokovic improves to 73-8 lifetime at the Australian Open—he has now won more matches at Melbourne Park than any other Grand Slam venue.
Djokovic applied pressure on Raonic early and often in the match. He earned 16 break points in total and converted two of them to avoid tiebreakers in the first and second set.
“He does have a much better return than most of the rest of the tour,” Raonic said afterwards. “But on the first serve, you feel it because he just gets his hand on it. Even if it's a crappy ball in the middle of the court, you still have to hit another one. You know he can defend really well. That weighs on you over time.”
Djokovic has now won 13 of his last 14 tiebreakers after winning seven of eight points in the third-set breaker to finish off the Canadian. Raonic is the fourth opponent that Djokovic has now defeated ten or more times without a single loss. Gael Monfils (16-0), Jeremy Chardy (13-0) and Andreas Seppi (12-0) are the others.
The Serb will face Roger Federer for the 50th time on Thursday in Melbourne. Djokovic (7) and Federer (6) have combined to win 13 of the last 15 Australian Open men’s singles titles.
Federer saved five match points in a miraculous victory over Tennys Sandgren earlier on Tuesday. Djokovic owns the 26-23 lifetime edge over the Swiss, including 10-6 at the Slams and 3-1 at the Australian Open.
“What he did today was really amazing,” Djokovic said of Federer. “I mean, to come back and save seven match points at his age, I mean, he's still playing such a great tennis and proving that he deserves to be up there. He's a great fighter. Obviously I have lots of respect for him."
Djokovic will like his chances against the 38-year-old Federer on the court that he has created so many shining memories. He improved to 11-0 on the season.
"I've been feeling well on the court," he said. "I think if I continue playing the way I was throughout the tournament here and also ATP Cup, I've been building I think as the time passes by, in every match, I have more confidence, I feel better. In the end of the day, this is my favorite court, I mean, the court where I had the most success in my career. Hopefully things can come together for me in a positive way on Thursday and I can have a chance to win.”