Melbourne, 26 January 2023 (GNP): As the Australian Open tournament unfolds, Novak Djokovic’s march towards a 22nd Grand Slam crown seems inevitable, with first-time American semi-finalist Tommy Paul standing in his way on Friday. Djokovic, the fourth seed, is seeking to extend his record by winning his 10th Australian Open title. His dominant form throughout the tournament has many believing that he will succeed in his quest for victory.
However, Djokovic’s campaign has been challenging, as he suffered a hamstring injury en route to winning the warm-up title in Adelaide. Despite this setback, he has been at his devastating best in statement wins over Alex de Minaur in the fourth round and Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. He has sent a message to his remaining opponents in the tournament. “Playing against two guys that are outstanding, in-form players, to beat them dominantly in three sets is something that I want at this moment, something that sends a message to all my opponents remaining in the draw,” Djokovic said.
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Djokovic’s impressive performance in the tournament has led him to his 44th Grand Slam semi-final, equalling Andre Agassi’s 26-match Australian Open win streak and placing him two behind 20-times major champion Roger Federer in the all-time list. Despite his achievements, Djokovic claims that he is still improving and that he feels better and better as the tournament progresses. He has never lost a semi-final at the Australian Open, and he hopes to keep this streak going.
On the other hand, Paul hopes to flip the script and upset Djokovic’s campaign. He outclassed fellow unseeded American Ben Shelton to become only the third active U.S. male player to have made the last four of a Grand Slam alongside John Isner and Frances Tiafoe. Paul’s progress is a testament to the steady rise of American men’s tennis, with ten players set to be in the ATP top 50 on Monday following a superb run at Melbourne Park, where the likes of holder Rafa Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud went out early. However, Paul hopes to go further and make history by becoming the first American man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals since Andy Roddick in 2009. “It’s important to me,” said Paul. “We all want it pretty bad for ourselves, but we want it for U.S. tennis, too.”