Djokovic beat Medvedev after more than three hours
Despite being physically exhausted, and on the verge of failure when he lost the third set of serving games, Djokovic still went upstream to defeat his 9-year-old junior. Victory comes from Nole's bravery, class and extraordinary efforts. Thanks to that, the Serbian player still has the opportunity to "hold" a record prize of $ 4.7 million for the undefeated champion at the tournament.
Nole's signs of age were evident in the tie-break set two. After consecutive series of durable balls with Medvedev, the 35-year-old tennis player paled, breathed heavily, showing fatigue. Many times, Nole could not stand and fell down after finishing the series. Referee Mohamed Lahyani sometimes expressed concern about Djokovic's condition.
Having experienced many stressful matches in his career, Djokovic has rarely shown his exhaustion like in the match against Medvedev. The persistent series of balls with juniors made Nole constantly have to move around the field and have no time to rest. Despite his best efforts in the second set tie-break, Djokovic still lost 5-7 when the opponent played persistently and accurately in the decisive points.
At the beginning and middle of the third set, Djokovic was barely able to race the ball with Medvedev. The 21 Grand Slam owner relies heavily on serve and consistent net play. But Nole also only lasted eight games. He lost the hinge serve game after more than 15 minutes, although he earned a lot of points from the A-corner serves on the deuce court.
Medvedev, when he was close to victory, did not serve well and hit a loose hand in the deciding game. The Russian player lost the game, so Nole equalized the score 5-5. The excitement helped Djokovic keep the next game, then drag the juniors into the tie-break. There, Nole won two mini-breaks before winning 7-2 to decide the match.
Medvedev played his best game of the tournament, after being eliminated early. In the first set, he made Nole save the break-point for the second time from the beginning of the tournament. Nole, after escaping, won the next ball game from a series of misses from Medvedev, thereby winning the first set 6-3.
Medvedev was not demoralized after losing the first set. The Russian served better in the second set, before earning three set-points in Djokovic's service game. But Nole saved all three from losing the set. In Medvedev's third set-point, Djokovic scored an unbelievable winner from a cross-court forehand, after 26 hits from both sides. Since that point, Nole showed signs of serious decline.
Fitness will continue to be an issue for Djokovic in the semi-final against Taylor Fritz, when he does not have a day off. Nole will face Fritz at 3am on November 21, Hanoi time.
