Novak Djokovic advanced to the semi-finals at the Geneva Open on his 38th birthday on Thursday, beating Matteo Arnaldi – who eliminated him at the Madrid Masters last month.
Djokovic rallied strongly in the second set for a 6-4 6-4 win over 39th-ranked Arnaldi.
The second seed had smashed his racket into the ground behind the baseline after his serve was broken to trail 3-1 in the second set, when he sent a backhand long.
“I’m sorry for the racket, it’s not a good example particularly for the young ones,” Djokovic told the crowd in French in an on-court interview. “Thank for your support. I know that with the cold temperatures it’s not easy to stay here.”
At 4-1 down, and after seeming to strain his right knee stretching for a shot, Djokovic reeled off five straight games for victory.
He clinched his first match-point chance when Arnaldi hit a wild forehand from behind the baseline.
“It was much closer than maybe the scoring indicates,” Djokovic said.
On a chilly and rainy day that was tough for higher-ranked players, top-seeded Taylor Fritz lost to sixth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 7-6 and fourth-seeded Karen Khachanov lost 4-6 6-4 6-4 to 128th-ranked Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner.
Djokovic’s semi-final opponent Friday will be the winner of the late match between Alexei Popyrin, the fifth-seeded Australian, and another qualifier in Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
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