Djokovic registers second successive comeback win

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his match against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic at the Serbia Open, an ATP 250 series tournament, in Belgrade yesterday. (AFP)

Novak Djokovic came back from a set down against a Serbian compatriot for the second successive day to reach the Belgrade semi-finals yesterday. The world number one saw off in-form Miomir Kecmanovic, ranked at 38 in the world, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic, chasing a third title at the Serbia Open and a fourth ATP Tour title overall in his home city, will face third seed Karen Khachanov who beat Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-4. Djokovic had also needed three sets to beat Lazlo Djere in his opening round on Wednesday as he gears up towards the defence of his French Open title in Paris next month. The Belgrade event is only Djokovic’s third of 2022 after he was deported from Melbourne – and denied the chance to defend his Australian Open title – after entering the country unvaccinated. He was also barred from playing at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters over his controversial Covid-19 stance. The 34-year-old made the last-eight in Dubai in February and then lost his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters last week. Djokovic yesterday extended his win streak against Serbians to 10 matches, improving his record to 27-4 against his countrymen and 36-6 in his home nation. “The scenario was similar to last evening’s match, but I managed to win and qualify for the semis,” Djokovic said in Serbian in his post-match interview. “Thanks to my team, I felt better than last night.” Switching to English, he later added: “It’s a very strange feeling, sharing the court with your compatriots. Obviously the crowd was phenomenal for both players in yesterday’s match and today. They’re very rare occasions when I’m able to play at home and experience this atmosphere, so I’m trying to enjoy every single moment. I’m very pleased that I’m not going to play a Serbian player,” Djokovic said with a smile. “That’s going to be very nice for a change.” Earlier Djokovic hit out at the “crazy” decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament over the invasion of Ukraine. The world number one said he disagreed with war, but said banning athletes was unfair. “I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war,” he said at the ATP event in Belgrade. “I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. “In Serbia we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans we have had many wars in recent history. However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy. The players, the tennis players, the athletes have nothing to do with it (war). When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.” The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which runs Wimbledon, said it was acting to “limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible”. But the ATP and WTA organisers have also criticised the ban, saying it was “unfair” and “very disappointing”. Russian Daniil Medvedev is Djokovic’s closest rival in the world rankings and denied the 34-year-old a calendar Grand Slam in last year’s US Open final. Also yesterday, world number eight Andrey Rublev blasted Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players as “complete discrimination” and suggested organisers should instead donate tournament prize money to the victims of the conflict. “The reasons they (Wimbledon) gave us had no sense, they were illogical,” said Rublev on the sidelines of the Belgrade ATP event.  “What is happening now is complete discrimination against us.” The decision from Wimbledon will see Rublev as well as compatriot and world number two Daniil Medvedev and women’s fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus amongst those sitting out the June 27-July 10 tournament. “Banning Russian or Belarusian players....will not change anything,” added Rublev, who said redirecting Wimbledon’s £35mn ($45.6mn) prize fund would have a more positive effect. “To give all the prize money to humanitarian help, to the families who are suffering, to the kids who are suffering, I think that would do something, at least a bit. Tennis will, in that case, be the first and only sport who donate that amount of money and it will be Wimbledon so they will take all the glory.”