With twin successes on the Asian swing of the ATP Tour, Novak Djokovic is back in the reckoning in a comparatively less successful year. And with no points to defend in the weeks ahead, the Serb, says Bikash Mohapatra, is the lone challenger to Roger Federer in the race for the year-end No.1 ranking.
Novak Djokovic was happy to complete his weather-delayed semi-final victory over David Ferrer in sunshine on Sunday but the Serb still lashed out at the US Open's crammed schedule.
Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal and twice winner Novak Djokovic are one victory away from renewing their rivalry in the final with both expected to get through their semis on Friday.
The former world number one said he had an honest conversation with Djokovic before taking up the coaching role between the end of 2013 and 2016.
Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic pledged one million euros ($1.10 million) to help buy ventilators and other medical equipment in his native Serbia on Friday, joining a list of other athletes in the fight against coronavirus.
Second seed Novak Djokovic complained of a "hole" on Centre Court at Wimbledon after beating Adrian Mannarino in his delayed fourth-round match on Tuesday.
Roger Federer faced down local battler John Millman 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) in a five-set thriller on Friday night to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open. Defending champion Novak Djokovic thumped Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday to stay on course for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park. Images from Day 5 of the 2020 Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic's frustration with the controversial blue clay at the Madrid Masters reached new heights after the world number one was beaten 7-6, 6-3 by fellow-Serb Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Novak Djokovic finally clinched the title missing from his resume with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Roger Federer on Sunday to win in Cincinnati and become the first player to complete the sweep of Masters series tournaments on Sunday.
Djokovic urges angry fanbase not to turn on US Open line judge
Novak Djokovic motored into the Wimbledon semi-finals with a quick-fire 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Germany's Florian Mayer while Federer ruthlessly dismantled Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
The 34-year-old bellowed a series of frightening roars after completing a victory that at one stage looked like a formality but became increasingly fraught as Berrettini threw the kitchen sink at the Serb who becomes only the second man to reach 40 Grand Slam semi-finals after Roger Federer.
Djokovic recalled watching Yokozuna Akebono who became sumo's first foreign-born grand champion in 1993.
Top seed Novak Djokovic made quick work of Tennys Sandgren at the Western and Southern Open on Tuesday, never dropping serve en route to a 6-2, 6-4 win over the American, while big-serving Milos Raonic enjoyed a straight sets win over Andy Murray.
Novak Djokovic will be favourite to reach his 27th Grand Slam final when he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open semis on Friday but what had been a smooth path through the draw has suddenly got a little rocky.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of rediscovering his form with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Dusan Lajovic in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
World number one Novak Djokovic beat fellow-Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 7-6 in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday to set up a meeting with Andy Murray in the last four.
World number one Novak Djokovic says he is excited by the prospect of playing at the US Open but says it would only be fair if every player eligible is able to compete. The Unites States Tennis Association (USTA) announced this week that the US Open would go ahead at the end of August without fans and with strict health protocols in place.
'Honestly, I think he can overtake them, but I wouldn't like to say that for sure. The race is on'
Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said fans would be allowed to attend the closing stages of the tournament on Sunday and Monday.
Second seed Novak Djokovic eased into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a routine 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 win over France's Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday.
Novak Djokovic rediscovered his warrior spirit to tame Canada's Milos Raonic 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in a rivetting duel and guarantee progress from his group at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Tuesday.
Organisers hope the anxious buildup will be forgotten when the action begins.
Bidding for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, the world number one and double-defending champion remains the runaway favourite at his favourite Grand Slam where he once remarked that he felt touched by the "divine".
American tennis legend John McEnroe has hailed Novak Djokovic as one of the greats of all time after the Serb again claimed the year-end world number one spot with a victory at the ATP Tour Finals on Friday.
The world No 1 is certainly buoyed by the prospect of emulating his achievement of holding all four majors but knows that nothing less than perfection will be required.
Spain's David Ferrer stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach the ATP World Tour semi-finals on Wednesday, outplaying the Serb 6-3, 6-1 at the O2 Arena.
'All the superlatives and beautiful words that you can think of she deserves it.'
Although most of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian, many Serbs consider it their native homeland and a cradle of their culture. Some 13,000 people were killed in the 1998-1999 war, sparked by clashes between the forces of the rump Yugoslav state -- Serbia and Montenegro -- and Kosovo separatists. The conflict ended when NATO carried out an air campaign against Serbia.
Novak Djokovic's star still burns bright as he returns to Melbourne Park in search of a record seventh Australian Open title.
Stan Wawrinka was not fully convincing in his four-set victory against Serbian Viktor Troicki but the fourth seed refused to fuss over the nature of his win after securing his place in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.
Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Ostapenko will celebrate birthdays on Thursday, but one will be left crying into her cake as they face off in the French Open semi-finals.
After a 16 year manhunt, Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic has been transferred to the United Nations tribunal for Yugoslavia at The Hague. Mladic, a Bosnian Serb, has previously been indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Novak Djokovic has invited Britain's Andy Murray to clear-the-air talks.
Handke emerged as a vocal defender of the Serbs during the bloody collapse of the former Yugoslavia, even comparing them to Jews under the Nazis, a remark he later retracted.
Djokovic's father blamed the cancellation of the tour on Dimitrov. There is nothing to suggest that Dimitrov spread the virus to others.
The Australian Open draw has opened up a potential can of worms for security organisers at Melbourne Park, with rival Serb and Croatian supporters to be thrown into close proximity for Novak Djokovic's second round match against Croatia's Ivan Dodig.
Ramkumar Ramanthan gave his all but it was not enough to stop Laslo Djere from winning his first Davis Cup match as India trail Serbia 0-1 in the World Group Play-off tie, in Kraljevo, Serbia, on Friday.
World number one Novak Djokovic continued his rich vein of form as he brushed aside French opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to clinch the Shanghai Masters title on Sunday.
