The quarter-final game against Vasek Pospisil was a joy to watch. The Canadian player has never won a set against Djokovic who maintains the undisputed dominance in their head-to-head matchup with 6 wins to 0 losses. Despite the seeming one-sidedness of the rivalry, these two always put up a show with Vasek frequently coming very close to winning a set. It happened this time too with the first set going to 7-6 (5).
Novak Djokovic looks like he is in a beast shape
The barrage of attacking shots from Pospisil did not faze the Serbian who confidently defended and continued to dismantle his opponent in a dominant second set 6-3. The rivalry is quite interesting to watch also because the two players are good friends. After the game, Djokovic commended Pospisil for his excellent abilities and the will to fight to the end against all odds. Novak pointed out that they have been playing against each other for many years and formed a strong friendship.
Novak Djokovic is looking to win his third tour-level event in Tel Aviv. He rose the Wimbledon Cup above his head in July and wants to continue his dominance. This year, his opposition seems to be quite weak and out of shape allowing the Serbian to reach his fullest potential. Djokovic has titles from Rome and Wimbledon. Tel Aviv’s championship will be the last this year.
With the win over the Canadian, Novak advanced to the semis where he will face Roman Safiullin. The latter also looks very good and managed to dismantle Arthur Rinderknech dominantly by winning two sets 6-4, 6-1. While Safiullin may not look like a good match for Novak judging by their respective ATP rankings (69th against 15th), he is 10 years younger and tends to upset more vigorous opposition from time to time.
The dominant year for Djokovic
If Novak manages to win this tournament, he will advance in the ATP Live Race and will qualify without any additional matches for Turin and Nitto ATP Finals. These will be hugely important November events that will round up the competitive tennis season.
