PARIS: Serbia’s tennis icon Novak Djokovic earned a hard-fought win over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in the third round of the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics.
Djokovic’s quest for a gold medal at the Olympics continued after he moved past Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
In hot Paris conditions, the No. 2 ranked player in the ATP rankings engaged in gruelling rallies and took control despite making a couple of unforced errors.
In the first set, Djokovic and Koepfer fought hard for each point. The second set was a comfortable affair for the Serbian. Once Djokovic took the lead, Koepfer struggled to make a comeback and crashed out of the event.
After the win, Djokovic opened up about the atmosphere.
“It is a great honour to represent my country at the Olympics. It is an incredible sporting event. We play Roland Garros every year in this stadium, but the crowd, the atmosphere, the colours, everything is different in a good way. The Roland Garros crowd is very knowledgeable and passionate about tennis, but the Olympic crowd is something different,” he said, according ATP.com.
“People from all over the world come to support their athletes, and I think there are so many different nations and nationalities, and it is beautiful to see. We are all celebrating sports, and I am glad to still stay in the tournament,” he added.
Djokovic also referred to the humid conditions in Paris.
“I am soaking wet. It is a very humid day, as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit, the air. It is the same for me and my opponent, so you have to make the best of it.”
Djokovic will face eighth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. The Greek tennis star defeated Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 7-5, 6-1. (ANI)