Novak Djokovic smashed his racket in the most violent way possible, then came from behind to book his place in the Australian Open semis
- Novak Djokovic smashed a tennis racket in the most violent way possible as he beat Alexander Zverev.
- The Serbian came from behind to beat Zverev in four sets at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
- "We pushed each other to the limit," Djokovic said after progressing to the semifinals.
Novak Djokovic smashed a tennis racket in the most violent way possible as he came from behind to beat Alexander Zverev on Tuesday and book his place in the Australian Open semifinals.
Playing at a mostly empty Rod Laver Arena, the Serbian conceded the first set to Zverev by a tie-break before bouncing back to win the second 6-2.
Djokovic could not carry the momentum into the third set, however, as Zverev soared into a 3-1 lead, at which point the world No.1 decided to take out his frustration on his racket. He smashed it on the floor not once, but three times.
So demolished was the racket that a ball-girl had to come and clean up the mess with a dustpan and brush before play could resume.
When it did, Djokovic appeared to have smashed away his demons, as he won five of the next seven games to take the set.
He then bested Zverev in the second tie-break of the day in the fourth set to ensure his passage to the final four.
"With these type of conditions I need to warm up and I still felt it would take time to feel I could rotate well," said Djokovic, who has been struggling with an abdominal injury, after the match. "It was a close tie break [in the first set] and after that I felt I moved better.
"I hit slightly more aces, which is a miracle for me. Down to the last shot, it was anyone's match. It was a great battle and congratulations to Sacha for a great tournament - we pushed each other to the limit."
Djokovic will face the unseeded qualifier Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals on Thursday. Karatsev, ranked 114th in the world, is playing in his first ever Grand Slam, and is the first man to make the semifinals on debut.