Novak Djokovic has progressed to his 30th grand slam semi-final with a 6-4, 7-5,6-3, win over Czech world No.8 Tomas Berdych following a controversial rain delay.
The world No.1 was eager to produce a convincing display following his roller coaster fourth round encounter with Roberto Bautista Agut. Facing a player that he has beaten in 23 out of their 25 previous meetings on the tour, Djokovic launched his first attack with a deep return to the baseline that awarded him the first break in the match for 4-3. Berdych failed to respond as the top seed dominated the remainder of the opening set. Dictating the rallies, Djokovic forced his Czech rival to produce back-to-back forced errors to hand him the set. The focused start was a sharp contrast to his previous match. Djokovic produced only three unforced errors during the first set compared to 25 in his previous match against Bautista Agut.
Djokovic continued his masterclass in the second set after a stunning backhand drop shot gave him three further break points. The performance scrambled the mind of Berdych, who produced a double fault to hand the 2-0 break to his nemesis.
Novak Djokovic is playing at another level right now! #FrenchOpen https://t.co/vQ7YhqsbW4
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) 2 June 2016
The one way show finally subsided in the seventh game of the set when a costly forehand error resulted in Berdych breaking back, giving him his first momentum in the match. The momentum switch was dramatic with Berdych claiming 12 out of 17 points to level at 4-4, sending warning signals to the Djokovic camp. The threat from the world No.8 was soon thwarted after three Berdych unforced errors handed three set points to the Serbian, who eased to a two-sets lead thanks to another costly forehand unforced error from the Czech.
Maintaining a two-sets stronghold in the match, Djokovic had to contend with another threat, the troublesome French weather. Light rain began to fall, but proceedings continued with a trade of breaks at the start of set three. The heavy conditions made the ball bounce lower as Djokovic continued his battle with a resurgent Berdych. The deterioration of the weather finally got the better of the match with play suspended at 3-3.
Controversial suspension
The decision to suspend play came after Djokovic called for the umpire and complained that he couldn’t play in the wet conditions. The questionable decision to stop was highly criticised by Berdych, who described the event as ‘a circus’. The world No.1 swiftly left the court as Berdych continued his argument with the umpire. Despite the match being halted, the other men’s quarter-final match between Dominic Thiem and David Goffin continued.
Tomas Berdych: “This is an absolute circus, one big circus. It’s been raining like this for two and a half sets.”
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) 2 June 2016
The suspension of play lasted only five minutes as Djokovic returned to the court. That suspension wiped away the closeness between the two men in the set after an unforced error from Berdych rewarded Djokovic with a break for the chance to serve for the match. The task proved to be a walk in the past after a serve down the centre of the court was unreturned by Berdych, sealing the match for Djokovic.
“It is always a tough match, you have to play tactically,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview.
“It’s was very difficult for both players but I found my best game today and I am very happy.”
Djokovic will now play in a record-breaking sixth consecutive semifinal at Roland Garros, surpassing the tally he once shared with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
