After victories in Tel Aviv and Astana, Novak Djokovic has made a successful begin to his title-defense marketing campaign in Paris Masters, stretching his successful run to 11 matches as he reached the quarterfinal. Djokovic is a six-time champion at Bercy and he appears to extends his streak in what has been a slightly forgettable yr for the Serb. Nevertheless, forward of his quarterfinal match, tennis nice Mats Wilander has made the 21-time Grand Slam winner cautious of an enormous risk.
Wilander was all reward for Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has had a improbable second half of 2022, which features a 16-match successful streak comprising title wins on the Firenze Open, European Open and Swiss Indoors. On Friday, he claimed a win towards Frances Tiafoe to achieve the semis for the second time in a Masters 1000 match in his profession.
ALSO READ: Carlos Alcaraz reacts after Rafael Nadal’s shock Paris Masters exit ensures teenager year-end world No 1 crown
Talking to Eurosport after the quarters tie, Wilander hailed the Canadian’s “unbelievable bodily effort” and opined that he might push Djokovic on this match. With each gamers on the both aspect of the draw, they’ll solely probably face one another within the last. The final time they confronted one another, on the Laver Cup in September, Felix had defeat Djokovic.
“It’s an unbelievable factor to win three in a row, it’s a tremendous bodily effort,” mentioned Wilander. “These tournaments are tournaments the place he’s mainly beating gamers that he ought to beat, and we all the time knew Felix Auger-Aliassime had it in him to beat gamers that he’s higher than.”
Wilander that fired a stern warning to Djokovic who’s stands three wins away from a seventh title at Bercy.
“Be very conscious, when he’s enjoying, his serve is completely enormous, his physicality is that of Novak Djokovic and possibly even a step above, and that does not come flippantly beneath my mouth as a result of I’ve all the time thought Djokovic was the best athlete of any sport. However Felix Auger-Aliassime is true up there and would push Novak for his cash in each division bodily, and that’s unbelievable.”
Djokovic will tackle Lorenzo Musetti in his quarterfinal match in Paris Masters.