Djokovic’s hellish comeback en route to his ninth Paris final

A hell of three hours and one minute. Novak Djokovic He did not burn himself because he had that gift of enlightenment to escape the fires ‘in extremis’, when all the elements seemed to be allied against him. He not only avoided the fire, but he directed it at his rival, who for a long time enjoyed his best tennis, seeing how he became a martyr to a legend of this sport.

But Djokovic ended up making the Accor Arena in Paris hell for the best Andrey Rublevwho walked away empty-handed from a game that was sure to win all but one, with a ‘Nole’ extending his winning streak to seventeen games, winning 30 of 31 games since Roland Garros.

Burdened by a thousand lives of Djokovicfor that ability to live in poverty and raise the level until it is unbearable for a mortal alike Rublev, even though he is the No. 5 in the world. The law of No. 1, which returned to tremble 5-7, 7-6 (7-3) and 7-5. They have not lost in the semifinals in Paris, and they have eight.

This Sunday, at 3 p.m., he will play his ninth indoor ATP Masters 1000 final in Paris, fighting for a sixth title against a resurgent Bulgarian. Grigor Dimitrov32 years old and number 17, Greek winner Stefanos Tsitsipas by 6-3, 6-7 (1) and 7-6 (3).

Djokovic He sought medical attention after the second set, requiring an intense massage of his lower back after returning from the bathroom. A few days ago he revealed that he was suffering from a stomach virus. The stop lasted thirteen comforting minutes. He does not like things to be easy, he overcomes himself when obstacles are placed or put in his way. When he feels immortal, he surrounds them in one way or another. “I was suffocating like a snake suffocates a frog,” the Serbian admitted about the demands he experienced at the hands of the Muscovite.

Rublevgreat for attitude and tennis, sealed the event by crashing his racket against the ground, after committing a double fault that gave a pass to Djokovic, who until the tiebreak of the second set sometimes seemed like a zombie moving through of inertia, although at the speed established by a good opponent even slept well until dawn because their quarterfinal match ended at one o’clock on the same Saturday.

When Djokovic shows signs of fainting, it is a danger for his opponent. This is a way to give feedback. Suffering as fuel for the epic, three remaining points from the Balkan in the ‘tiebreak’ to declare that he is the best, even with a superlative Rublev in front, who finally gave the first name to the Balkan on a hard court.

Djokovic’s genius opened the route to the final. Rublev endured as best he could, but he knew, like most, that this ‘Nole’ would go from hell to heaven at the tenth of a certain thing.

Djokovic won his 97th ATP crown, in his 137th final. Against Dimitrov, whom he lost eleven out of twelve times. The Serbian is moving away Carlos Alcaraz in the world ranking: already have at least 1,090 points.