PECHINO (CINA) (ITALPRESS) – Novak Djokovic continues to amaze and update his records. The 39-year-old Serbian, after defeating Alexander Zverev yesterday, has passed Daniil Medvedev today and is prepared for the final of the “China Open”, Atp 500 with total prize pool of 4.089,385 dollars in progress on the cement of the Olympic Green Tennis Center in Beijing. Djokovic, number 11 of the world (in full race for a seat at the Atp Finals in Turin) and sixth strength of the board, defeated Medvedev in the semifinals, number 5 of the Atp ranking and the third favorite seeding. The Russian has been removed from the field, and will receive a heavy fine, for hitting with a ball to the eye a viewer. Medvedev’s shaping gesture took place on the score of 7-5 5-3 15-15 in favor of the Serbian. A gesture of intemperance, also unlucky, that of the Russian, who certainly wanted to “draw away” the ball after a failed recovery and hit the backdrop of the field. The ball went a little above and hit an eye on a viewer positioned in the front row: hence Medvedev’s disqualification and the success “at the table” for Djokovic, who was in service, one step from the victory.
The Belgrade tennis player continues to rewrite records, which in the Beijing tournament reached the 33rd consecutive victory: yesterday Rafa Nadal, who held the record in a single event. The Spanish has “flapped” at 31 in the Roland Garros major, always winning from 2005 to 2008, before losing in the eighth finals in 2009 against Robin Soderling. Djokovic in the Chinese capital never lost a career match (in seven holdings). In the “China Open” he triumphed six times: in 2009, in 2010 and from 2012 to 2015. In the last statement he beat Nadal in the final. In the final the Serbian will challenge the Australian Alex De Minaur. Djokovic is looking for the seventh triumph in Beijing and therefore another primacy.
“I am terribly sorry for the viewer. I’m trying to get in touch with him if you want to. I hope I can meet him in person, apologize and see how he is.” Daniil Medvedev is visibly and understandably bitter after the episode that led to his disqualification. “It was 100 for 100 an accident. You can see I didn’t hit the ball for anger. I actually do a lot of wrong things, but usually hitting or kicking the ball is not part of my behavior. The ball was coming back, so I simply tried to hit it, to pull it at any point, so that it didn’t get out of the field”, the Russian tennis player explained. “When I saw what had happened, I felt terrible, because I don’t think I’ve ever found myself in such a situation. I hope the viewer is well, it is the most important thing, because in such situations you never know,” Medvedev said. “In my gesture there was absolutely no anger. It wasn’t even particularly frustrating. I didn’t hit her hard, but I hit him. I really care about that viewer right now. I hope I can meet him and somehow make up for what happened,” the Russian concluded.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
