LONDON: Novak Djokovic has become the 10th player in the Open Era to have won an 800th match on the ATP World Tour after defeating Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-1, at the Fever-tree Championships.
Djokovic, who is unseeded in this year’s tournament, fended off some stiff opposition from his opponent. He has defeated the 29-year-old on two previous occasions on the grass (Wimbledon 2016, 2017), but both of those have included at least one tiebreaker. This time round Djokovic enjoyed a smoother journey. Winning 83% of the points behind his first serve and converting four out of his 13 break point opportunities.
“I didn’t start the match as I wanted to,” Djokovic said during his after-match interview with the BBC.
“Mannarino plays very flat, the ball keeps very low, and that was different to my early opponents.
“It took time to get used to his style but I managed to find my rhythm and played well in the second set.”
24 hours after crushing Grigor Dimitrov at The Queen’s Club, Djokovic initially experienced some tough resistance from Mannarino. A world No.26 who is yet to win a ATP title on the tour. It was the underdog that started the brighter of the two. A Mannarino drop-shot followed by a Djokovic shank enabled the Frenchman to break for 2-1. On the back foot, the former world No.1 battled his way back to level 4-4 after coming through a marathon five-deuce game. Sparking cheers from the London crowd. Continuing to weather the storm, he clinched the 7-5 lead with the help of his faltering opponent. A nightmare Mannarino service game saw him hit three consecutive unforced errors. Rewarding Djokovic a trio of set points, which he converted on the second time asking following another costly error from his opponent.
Continuing to apply pressure, Djokovic’s tactic of moving Mannarino around the court paid off. A backhand down the line triggered the world No.26 to hit a backhand into the net. Elevating Djokovic to 3-1. From then on, the match was a foregone conclusion as Djokovic strolled towards the finish line with the help of a double break. Sealing the milestone victory with his sixth ace of the match.
Djokovic will next play in only his second ATP semifinal since returning to the tour from an elbow injury in January. He will take on either Jeremy Chardy or Frances Tiafoe.
Members of the 800 wins club
- Jimmy Connors 1256 wins
- Roger Federer 1156 wins
- Ivan Lendl 1068 wins
- Guillermo Vilas 949 wins
- Rafael Nadal 903 wins
- John McEnroe 881 wins
- Andre Agassi 870 wins
- Ilie Nastase 846 wins
- Stefan Edberg 801 wins
- Novak Djokovic 800 wins
