Twenty-one-time grand slam champion winner Novak Djokovic will go head to head with unseeded first-time major semi-finalist Tommy Paul at the Australian Open on Friday night.
Paul, a 25-year-old from America who is currently ranked No. 35 in the world, beat out 20-year-old fellow American Ben Shelton for his semifinal spot against Djokovic.
The Serbian superstar described Paul as a “very explosive, very dynamic player” with “quick, very solid backhand”
“Well, I know how he plays,” Djokovic said.
“I never faced him on the court. He’s been around for a few years. I watched him play quite a bit, especially during this tournament.
Djokovic noted that while he had not played him previously, he thought Paul was a very competent player with a great service motion.
“[Paul] likes to step in and dictate the point with the forehand. Great, great service motion,” he said.
“He doesn’t have much to lose. I’m sure he’s going to go out trying to play his best tennis.”
While the nine-time Australian Open recently appeared to have experienced a hamstring injury appear, Djokovic proceeded to beat out Alex De Minaur and Rublev in back-to-back matches for the loss of just 12 games in six sets.
“Playing against two guys that are really good players, in-form players, to beat them dominantly in three sets, is definitely something that I want at this moment, something that sends a message to all my opponents remaining in the draw,” Djokovic said.
“With this kind of game, of course, the confidence level rises. I feel good on the court, better and better as the tournament progresses. I’ve been in this situation so many times in my life, in my career, never lost semi-finals in [the] Australian Open. Hopefully, that will stay the same.”
‘We Want It For U.S. Tennis, Too’
Meanwhile, Paul, the first American to make the Open’s last four since Andy Roddick in 2009, said he’s living the dream in Melbourne. He also said being able to face Djokovic on the court is win-win regardless of the result.
“I’m really excited, man. It’s really cool,” he said. “I think it’s even cooler if I do play Novak. That’s probably who I want to play. I mean, I probably have a better chance of winning if it’s Rublev, but to play Novak here in Australia would be awesome.”
“I saw him in the locker room after I finished my [quarter-final] match. He said ‘congrats’. Not too much.
The pair had practised before but never played a match against each other.
“Obviously, he’s pretty comfortable here in Australia. It’s going to be a challenging match,” Paul added.
“But I’m playing some of my best tennis, so it’s a good time.”
“I mean, I’ve been on the outside courts grinding until the round of 16,” he said, smiling in his press conference. “[I] haven’t had too many, like, big-name matchups.”
Paul, the first American man to make the semifinals in Melbourne in 14 years, said representing U.S. at the semifinals was not only an opportunity for himself but also for his country.“The coaches have been telling us, ‘We need new Americans, we need new Americans’,” he said.
“It’s kind of ingrained in my head. We all want to perform ... I mean, I think we all want it pretty bad for ourselves, but we want it for U.S. tennis, too.”
