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2021 Australian Open
Men’s Singles Semifinal 1
Novak Djokovic v Aslan Karatsev
18 February 2021
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Novak Djokovic will continue his hunt for a record-extending ninth
Australian Open title when he faces up to Aslan Karatsev in the first Men’s Singles Semifinal, set for the Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park on Thursday 18 February 2021.
Djokovic put up a fighting performance to overcome German Alexander Zverev 6-7 6-2 6-4 7-6 in the quarterfinals, with the Serbian star having already beaten Jeremy Chardy, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Milos Raonic earlier in the tournament.
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The 33-year-old, who boasts 17 career Grand Slam titles, has been nursing an abdominal issue and has been unable to reach the peak of his performance in his time in Melbourne. He believes the need to quarantine for two weeks ahead of the Open has affected all players and led to the high occurrence of injuries.
"This definitely is not good for players in terms of their wellbeing," said Djokovic. "The physical wellbeing of players is a big question mark, and I think it needs addressing. Obviously it has something to do with these kind of circumstances that we were in, coming into a Grand Slam and a tournament before the Grand Slam right after 14 days or 15 days of quarantine.
"What we are seeing is not normal. It's not something we are used to. Top players are the ones that are fittest. It has been proven in the past that that's the case."
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Djokovic’s opponent, Russian Aslan Karatsev, has been the sensation of the tournament. The 27-year-old came through the qualifiers for the Australian Open and has defeated Gianluca Mager, Egor Gerasimov, Deiego Schwartzmann, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the semis in his first Grand Slam. He is the first player to achieve this feat in the Open era since Vladimir Voltchkov in the year 2000.
"It's an unbelievable feeling,'' Karatsev said. "Of course, it's first time. First time in main draw, first time semis. It's incredible.''
In head-to-head terms, this will be the first-ever meeting of Novak Djokovic and Aslan Karatsev.
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