Australian Open 2020: Novak Djokovic pays tribute to Roger Federer after stunning semi final victory
Novak Djokovic stormed into his eighth Australian Open final, and left Roger Federer thinking hard about his future, after taming the Swiss superstar in a one-sided semifinal at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic complimented his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with helping take his own game to another level.
"These two guys have definitely made a significant difference in my mind and understanding my own game and what it takes to really win against them," he said.
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"At the beginning I remember when I won my first grand slam here in 2008, after that it was three very tough years for me because every time I would get to a big match, finals or semis or Grand Slam, I would lose to one of these two guys. It took a lot of thinking and a lot of belief to – and of course a lot of work – to perfect the game and challenge those guys on a bigger scale."
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In the 50th instalment of one of sport’s greatest rivalries, the Serb shrugged off a tentative start to reinforce his recent dominance, showing no mercy to the injury-hit Swiss maestro in a 7-6 (7/1) 6-4 6-3 win.
He will play either fifth seed Dominic Thiem or seventh-ranked German Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final, but it will take a monumental effort to prise another title from the 32-year-old.
Of the seven Melbourne finals Djokovic has made, he has won them all. If any extra motivation was needed, winning on Sunday will see the Serb reclaim the number one ranking after Thiem sent Rafael Nadal packing in the last eight.
The Serb had nothing but the utmost respect for Federer for continuing to play in a semi-final he came into injured.
“I (had) retirements throughout my career. I know how it feels when you're hurt on the court", he said.
"I know the thoughts that go through your mind whether or not you should continue or not, whether it's going to get worse.
"I think it's an amazing fact that he has never retired, not a single match, throughout his career.
"Huge respect for that.”
Federer’s injury did affect how Djokovic approached the first few games he said.
“I was trying to focus on myself, (I had) been told by the team to prioritize my own things rather than really thinking about how he's feeling or how he's going to move," Djokovic said.
"But it's easier said than done. When I was on the court at the beginning, I was really paying too much attention on his movement, what he was really doing.
"Obviously he was hurting, you could see it in his movement.
"I still think he played pretty well. I don't know to what degree his injury is but when you're feeling a little bit hurt, you kind of go for your shots even more."
The inaugural inter-nation ATP Cup this month has turned out to be the perfect practice for his Australian Open campaign Djokovic said.
“(It) went really well for me, got a lot of hours spent on the court, singles and doubles. It was a great lead-up for the Open. Obviously (I) got a lot of positive energy from that competition. "