Djokovic, Dimitrov and the public asked to enter the round of 16 in Rome

It was something that he experienced often and it even drove him crazy, but Novak Djokovicwho has been struggling for a thousand matches, once again managed a favorable level with his rival to enter the round of 16 of Rome Masters 1,000., where he will face the British Cameron Norrie (13th world) or the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics (92nd).

Despite the fact that the Serb, current champion, lives in an idyll in the Italian tournament, where he lifted the title six times, the public came to a moment when they positioned themselves in favor of Grigor Dimitrov (33rd) and the possible return of the Bulgarian, which requires an extra effort from ‘none’ before sealing his pass in three sets: 6-3, 4-6 and 6-1 in 2h.19′ of play. The Balkans are playing in Rome for the 17th time and have always reached at least the quarterfinals.

As soon as Dimitrov extended his last drive and confirmed the Serb’s victory, Djokovic looked at the stands defiantly, as if saying: “What did I do to deserve this? But here I am, winning the match! ” There are already 11 wins in 12 games against the Bulgarian.

Nole knows how to win 💪@DjokerNole #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/hUENP5Wn3o

—Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 14, 2023

“>

gg.didomi.doWhenConsent(!window.didomiBypass, ‘c:twitterwi-wUmBnnKy’, function () {
var x = document.createElement(‘script’);
x.setAttribute(“type”,”text/javascript”);
x.setAttribute(“src”, “//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”);
x.setAttribute(“charset”, “utf-8”);
$(“.twitter-tweet”).closest( “span” ).append(x);
});

With 6-2 and 4-2 in his favor, Djokovic had a match on track to tie it at two sets, but Dimitrov became like a cat in his belly, won 12 points in a row and, suddenly, understood of the spectators who are still playing there.

The public encouraged the Bulgarian player with more energy, who not only recovered the break in the eighth game (4-4), but also broke the Serb’s serve in the 10th game to score the second set (4-6) and force the third and final

Four straight games brought Dimitrov to life, but Djokovic had too much of Djokovic and, with more shooting on clay each day, broke him in the opening game of the final set. His response to the champion was proven in the fifth game, when he broke Grigor’s serve again (4-1) and let out a liberating scream that invaded the entire court and became a preamble to his final victory by 6-1.

“I was very solid and I think I could have won in two sets. I was up one set and 4-2, we have new balls, I double faulted, the crowd got into the match, supported Grigory and, of course, the energy of the place and the party changed”, explained ‘Nole’ afterwards.

“My level dropped a bit, but I found it right away in the third set, I made that crucial break and somehow the momentum shifted in my favor, so I’m very satisfied with how I closed the match”, added . the Serb, he elaborated on how he lived and overcame adverse situations.

“Fortunately for me, in my career I won more matches than I lost in difficult circumstances. I also lost a lot of matches, especially at the beginning of my career. Every time it was necessary to take that last step or win a Grand Slam, I couldn’t make it. doing it, so I learned a lot. I got stronger in rivalries, especially with Federer, Nadal and Murray, just staying the course, be patient and believe in the process. You have to understand what’s best for you, what the mental, physical and emotional winning formula is, and stick with it,” Djokovic recounted.

The Serb continues to fine-tune his tennis in the difficult clay game with the main goal of adapting to Roland Garros (May 28-June 11). For now, Carlos Alcaraz was setting the standard on the European tour and grabbed the No. 1 after his victories in Barcelona and Madrid and his only appearance in Rome. The tennis world is looking for a final between the two to start making moves thinking about Roland Garros.