Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev secured their spots in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with victories in straight sets.
Twenty-two-time grand slam champion Novak defeated fifth-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 21 minutes to continue his chase for a sixth title in Dubai.
Zverev, seeded seventh, won 7-5, 6-4 against world No. 67 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in an hour and 52 minutes to reach the last-four stage.
Eye on Paris gold
Novak said on Wednesday he is already looking forward to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, as he seeks to win a gold medal that has so far eluded him in an otherwise glittering career.
The Serbian world No.1 won a bronze medal in Beijing 2008 but has been unable to build on that in the 2012, 2016 and 2021 editions.
Novak said he hopes to be fit for next year’s showpiece, by which time he will be 37. “I look forward to the Olympics,” he said. “It’s going to be played on clay at Roland Garros, so I’m familiar with those grounds. I hope the best Olympic result for me comes there.”
Written with inputs from Reuters
