Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic advanced to the championship match on Saturday at the Astana Open after Daniil Medvedev retired from the pair's semi-final clash.

Victory at the ATP 500 would give Djokovic enough points to guarantee that he will be in the Top 20 of the Race on the Monday after the [Rolex Paris Masters](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/paris/352/overview). [Roland Garros](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/roland-garros/520/overview). It was also Djokovic’s first match against a Top 10 player on a hard court since the 2021 [Nitto ATP Finals](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/nitto-atp-finals/605/overview), where he fell to [Alexander Zverev](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/overview) in the semi-finals. “The conditions here are playing a bit slower, actually a lot slower than last week in Israel where I played, so I had to adjust and against a player like Daniil, you’re just not going to have many free points. Serving at 5-4 he raced out to 40/0 and took the set on his second opportunity. “We played a lot of drop shots once the balls got really big and fluffy and I couldn’t really penetrate through him," Djokovic said. Ultimately, he won the tie-break on yet another drop shot when Medvedev’s forehand lob sailed long. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. Medvedev’s retirement came moments after Djokovic had clinched a dramatic tie-break to level the match at 4-6, 7-6(6). The Serbian, who lifted his 89th tour-level crown in Tel Aviv last week, leads Tsitsipas 7-2 in their ATP Head2Head series. "It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg.

Novak Djokovic booked his place in the Astana Open final in Kazakhstan where he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas after Daniil Medvedev retired injured with the ...

"So here, on the second point of the tie-break, I felt a little strange pop in my adductor. "It's the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle," Medvedev explained. On the second point of the tie-break, I felt a strange pop in my adductor. "And during the tie-break, I felt I can play like five, 10 more points but that's it. "It's the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle. "It was such a close match, particularly in the second set.

Daniil Medvedev retired suddenly from his thrilling semi-final match with Novak Djokovic at the Astana Open, to hand a 4-6 7-6(6) victory to the Serbian.

I found a way to win the second [set]. I was fighting to try and find a way. I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, a fighter and a big competitor. “It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. “I was ready for a third set battle. “He wouldn’t retire from a match if he felt he couldn’t continue or to worsen his injury, he told me he pulled the adapter muscle in his leg.

Seconds after the end of the second set, Medvedev suddenly retired from the match owing to an injury which left Djokovic completely baffled. | Tennis News.

But seconds after the end of the second set, Medvedev suddenly retired from the match owing to an injury which left Djokovic completely baffled. Djokovic has now entered his second straight ATP final after having claimed the title in Tel Aviv earlier this month. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets.

Novak Djokovic survived a second-set tiebreaker in the Astana Open semifinals and shortly after his opponent Daniil Medvedev retired with a leg injury on ...

They kept me in the game and gave me that hope." Tsitsipas broke in the 10th game of the second to level the set score. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. "It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. Rublev won the first set after saving three break points. . He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg.

Medvedev's sudden and surprising injury retirement stunned opponent Djokovic, who now moves on to the final.

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Its the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle. On the second point of the tie-break, I felt a strange pop in my adductor.

"So here, on the second point of the tie-break, I felt a little strange pop in my adductor. "It's the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle," Medvedev explained. On the second point of the tie-break, I felt a strange pop in my adductor. "And during the tie-break, I felt I can play like five, 10 more points but that's it. "It's the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle. "It was such a close match, particularly in the second set.

Djokovic advanced to the 128th ATP final of his career after Medvedev retired due to injury after the second set.

Tsitsipas has won some very big titles—he won the ATP Finals in 2019, as well as a pair of Masters 1000s, both in Monte Carlo, last year and this year. Neither man flinched on serve in the second set, with 12 consecutive holds en route to the tie-break. I’m sad in a way for the tournament and these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way.”

Daniil Medvedev shocked everyone, including Novak Djokovic, by suddenly pulling out of the pair's semi-final after the second set tie-break at the Astana ...

In 12 previous matches against Andrey Rublev, going back eight years all the way to juniors, the winner of the first set always won the match. And when Rublev ...

“I don’t think there’s a reason to feel any sort of pressure. Djokovic was a five-set winner in the “I’ll be playing against another big server, Tsitsipas. You need to try to get at least some free points on any surface. “In the end, especially when things got tough,” Tsitsipas said, “my concentration level spiked up, I was completely living in the moment and playing every single point individually. “My movement would be important,” he said of either potential finals matchup. “I was very close, at least in two or three of them. I wouldn’t say that I’ve choked in any of them. He did it again in the eighth game of the third set and went on to a riveting 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory. That left Djokovic “shocked” and disappointed for both Medvedev and the crowd. And there’s another narrative to change for Tsitsipas. And when Rublev took the opening set of their semi-final encounter on Saturday, it looked for all the world that it would happen again.