Tokyo 2020: Novak Djokovic trounces Kei Nishikori, Daniil Medvedev crashes out

The Serbian superstar cruised into the semifinal with a straight-set victory, while second seed Daniil Medvedev got knocked out.

Novak Djokovic in action at Tokyo Olympics; Credit: Twitter@DjokerNole
By Karthik Raman | Jul 29, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Novak Djokovic was unstoppable on Thursday, as the Serbian star moved one step closer to his first Olympic singles gold medal with a thumping victory. The 20-time Grand Slam champion cruised past Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-0 to reach the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics. The 34-year-old Serbian arrived in the Japanese capital after bagging his sixth Wimbledon men’s singles title recently. With a victory over Italian Matteo Berrettini at The Championships final, Djokovic has matched the Grand Slam tally (20) of his great rivals – Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Spain’s Rafael Nadal.

“Matches are not getting easier, but my level of tennis is getting better and better,” Novak Djokovic told ITFtennis.com. “I know that I’m kind of player that the further the tournament goes, the better I’m feeling on the court. That’s the case here. [It was] my best performance of the tournament tonight against a very good opponent.

“I know Kei’s game very well. Him playing in Japan, this court where he had lots of success. I knew that he was going to play very quick, and he was not going to give me a lot of time, so I had to be very alert. I feel I had an answer for everything he had.”

Novak Djokovic will next face Alexander Zverev

The Serbian, who has already clinched his ninth Australian Open crown in February and a second Roland Garros title last month, has a good chance of claiming the calendar-year Grand Slam, with only US Open left. Novak Djokovic has also kept alive the opportunity to become the first man to ever complete a Golden Grand Slam. Back in 1988, legendary female tennis player Steffi Graf won a gold medal and all four majors that year.

Novak Djokovic played consistently from the baseline and executed his plan to perfection to overcome Nishikori in 72 minutes. The top seed won 85 per cent (17/20) of his first-service points and was not broken in the match. Djokovic will next play fourth seed Alexander Zverev after the German defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-1 in 67 minutes.

Zverev returned well in the match as he stepped into the baseline to win 67 per cent (14/21) of points on Chardy’s second serve. Making his Olympic debut this week, the German player has yet to drop a set in Tokyo.

Pablo Carreno Busta stuns Daniil Medvedev

In arguably the biggest shock of men’s tennis in Tokyo, Pablo Carreno Busta stunned second seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-6. With that victory in one hour and 43 minutes, the Spaniard has moved into the last four. The sixth seed, who won his first ATP 500 trophy and sixth tour-level title earlier this month at the Hamburg European Open, was a break down in the second set.

However, the 30-year-old came back strongly against Medvedev to win the match in a tie-break. Carreno Busta will next face Karen Khachanov after the 12th seed battled past Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 34 minutes.

“I felt well physically, I felt well mentally,” the ROC’s Khachanov told ITFtennis.com. “I came here to fight for medals and I’m playing good tennis so far. I’m happy that I’m managing to find solutions to the problems as they appear – this is tennis. I’m enjoying [it] so far, and I want to keep going like that.”