By Tim Parsons-
Tennis ace, Novak Djokovic’s, overcame adversity to beat world number seven Daniil Medvedev to reach the Adelaide International final , as he continued to gather momentum for the Australian Open
The 35-year-old is yet to drop a set in Adelaide, beating Medvedev 6-3 6-4.
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Djokovic (pictured) will face American Sebastian Korda in Sunday’s final.
Djokovic was forced to leave the court for a medical timeout after twisting his leg during the 5-2 change over , but the sporting legend exercised resilience in playing on, tak ing a 9-4 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev.
“Thankfully it was nothing too serious. If it was, I wouldn’t be able to continue, so I just tried with [a] medical timeout, some anti-inflammatories and kind of settled in after a few games,” Djokovic said. “I was just trying to keep the momentum going and [not] allow him to break my serve. I think that was the key, that eventually I would get a chance.
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“I think the longer the match went, the more my hamstring was warmer and bothering me less, so hopefully for tomorrow it will be all fine.”
Djokovic is targeting a 10th title in Melbourne for the Australian open which begins on January 16 which would be a men’s record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam win.
Adelaide is world number five Djokovic’s first tournament in Australia since he was deported in 2022 because of his Covid-19 vaccine status. His visa ban has now been overturned. His return will put him on a high after the new Australian government overturned the decision of the previous government that left a sour taste in Djokavic’s mouth.
Djokovic had received a warm welcome following his return to Australia, despite his deportation on the eve of the Grand Slam last year for not only being unvaccinated against COVID-19 , but also recklessly mixing with members of the public including youngsters and a journalist, after testing positive for the virus.
It was a tough year for him, as he was exposed to a stream of criticism about his conduct, but also had enormous support from fans.
After his hopes were dashed for a last minute change to allow him participate in the U.S opens, his return to winnings ways in Australia is a big boost for him and his sea of fans in live attendance and on television all over the world.
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