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Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, reached the final of the Miami Open after defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, to find himself a step away from winning 100th career ATP title. During the semi-final, Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all-time, was in attendance at the Miami Gardens, to watch the Serbian in action, and following the conclusion of the match, Novak Djokovic thanked him for being there.
After Grigor Dimitrov broke the serve of Novak Djokovic in the first game of the first set, it was all Serbian for the rest of the match as he not only broke back the serve, but also took five straight games to clinch the first set. In the second set, the Bulgarian didn’t quite start well, and it allowed the world number five to dictate terms, and eventually take the second set and the match in a comfortable manner.
In the post-match interview, which was held at court side, Novak Djokovic gave his thoughts on the presence of Lionel Messi for his win over Grigor Dimitrov. He said, “I'm really grateful that he (Lionel Messi) was here with his son & family. I admired him for most of his career. We're actually the same age. Born in 87. Nice to still have him around.”
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I've been playing with the prospect of winning the special 100 titles: Novak Djokovic
The 37-year-old also addressed the long wait in regard to claiming the 100th ATP title in his illustrious tennis career. He was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “Ever since I won my 99th [title], which was the Olympic Games in Paris, I've been playing with the prospect of winning the special 100 titles. I've been trying to find that necessary and much-needed level of tennis that will put me in a position to fight for a trophy, a big trophy.”
In the other semi-final of the Miami Open, unseeded Czechia player Jakub Mensik defeated American Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-4), to set up a clash in Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic.
