May 15, (THEWILL) – Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, added to his stellar credentials on Saturday with a strong performance in the Italian Open quarterfinal to take victory in a milestone match for the Serbian.
Djokovic defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to win his 1,000th career match and reach his fourth consecutive final in Rome and on Sunday, the Serbian great will meet fourth-seeded Greek talent Stefanos Tsitsipas in a bid to add to his record 38 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
The 34-year-old now joins Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, and Rafael Nadal as the only men’s players in the Open Era with 1,000 victories, making him only the fifth man to reach this landmark accomplishment.
In post-match comments, Djokovic was appreciative of the occasion and the crowds, saying: “Thanks to the tournament and the crowd for celebrating the milestone with me.
“I’ve seen Roger and Rafa celebrate those milestones in the last couple of years and I was looking forward to getting to that 1,000 myself. I’m really, really blessed and privileged to have that many victories on the Tour.
“It’s been a long time, ever since I won my first match on the Tour. Hopefully I can keep going and many more victories to come.”
The match between Djokovic and Tsitsipas will be their first since world number one won a thrilling comeback triumph over the 23-year-old in the 2021 Roland Garros final. Djokovic leads Tsitsipas 6-2 all-time, including a 4-0 record on clay, the same surface they will compete on in Rome.
Djokovic’s most recent appearance prior to this competition Rome was in a historic semifinal loss to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open, as THEWILL reported.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
