Tsitsipas a fighter, one of world's best players: Novak Djokovic

PARIS: Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has heaped praise on Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying the Greek is a fighter and one of the best players in the world.

On Friday evening, Djokovic survived a fightback from fifth seed Tsitsipas as he had to battle it out for almost four hours to secure a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 semi-final win in the ongoing French Open.

"Credit to him (Tsitsipas) for fighting back. He just played terrific tennis, especially in the fourth set when he was facing break points... He's a fighter. He's one of the best players in the world...There was a lot at stake for him," said Djokovic after the match as per the ATP Tour website.

"He was motivated to try to turn the match around, which he did very well. But in the end I think he ran out of gas. That's when I stepped it up, used my opportunities when they were presented in the fifth and closed out the match in a great fashion," he added.

Djokovic started his 10th Roland Garros semi-final in great form, winning the first two sets quite comfortably. But as the match began to slip away from Tsitsipas, the world number six took risks and fired his backhand down the line regularly to turn the match in his favour and won the next two sets.

After the fourth set where Djokovic managed to convert just one of his 11 break points, the Serbian showed greater levels of energy in the decider and played with aggression on his return to reach the championship match. IANS

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