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Medvedev Cruises Into Dubai Semi-finals

Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion in Dubai - AFP
Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion in Dubai - AFP
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Medvedev Cruises Into Dubai Semi-finals

Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion in Dubai - AFP
Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion in Dubai - AFP

Daniil Medvedev raced to victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Thursday to reach the Dubai semi-finals and continue his excellent start to the year.

The world number four wasted little time in wrapping up a 6-2, 6-3 win and will face Ugo Humbert in the last four.

"Alejandro can play very well," Medvedev said. "Sometimes during matches he can have a little down moment and then he goes up.

"I knew that no matter the score, I needed to go until the last point."

The Russian is playing in just his second tournament of the season after reaching the Australian Open final, where he suffered an agonising defeat by Jannik Sinner after leading by two sets.

Reigning champion Medvedev is bidding to defend an ATP title for the first time, having won 20 trophies at Tour-level events in his career but all at different tournaments.

Medvedev eased through the opening set with breaks in the sixth and eighth games, AFP reported.

He powered into a 4-0 lead in the second and sealed victory on his first match point, despite a brief rally from Davidovich Fokina, who has now lost all four of his meetings with Medvedev.

Medvedev had to come from a set down against Lorenzo Sonego in the previous round, but said he may have been struggling with an illness.

"I don't know what happened yesterday. A few people around me got a small virus, so maybe it is this," he said.

"Some days that happens but I am happy today happened. I am not at my best shape yet but we have some more matches."

Fifth-seeded Humbert of France saved three match points in the second-set tie-break on his way to a 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-3 victory against third seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

Humbert, who hit 24 winners, had also defeated Hurkacz en route to the title in Marseille earlier this month.

Alexander Bublik and Andrey Rublev will meet in the other semi-final after both were beneficiaries of retirements in their last-eight matches.

Kazakhstan's Bublik led 6-4, 4-1 when his opponent Jiri Lehecka quit their tie with injury.

Second seed Rublev was 6-4, 4-3 ahead when American Sebastian Korda left the court in the second quarter-final.

The win ended a run of three successive quarter-final exits for world number five Rublev.

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Djokovic Stands Alone at the Australian Open Now that Nadal and Federer Retired

11 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic hits a forehand return during a practice session at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
11 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic hits a forehand return during a practice session at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Djokovic Stands Alone at the Australian Open Now that Nadal and Federer Retired

11 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic hits a forehand return during a practice session at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
11 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic hits a forehand return during a practice session at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

And then there was one: The Big Three is down to just Novak Djokovic, who stands alone from a golden generation of men’s tennis now that Rafael Nadal has joined Roger Federer in retirement, The Associated Press reported.
The Australian Open, which started Sunday (Saturday night EST), is the first Grand Slam tournament of 2025 — and the first major championship to be held since Nadal, 38, played his final match at the Davis Cup in November. Federer's last match came in 2021, although he didn't announce he was done until 2022.
“It’s coming to an end, this era. It’s tough for us. We grew up watching all of them. We saw them winning all the events,” said Francisco Cerúndolo, a 26-year-old from Argentina who’s been ranked in the top 20. “Then suddenly we started playing against them, sharing the locker room or practicing with them, having conversations with them.”
Djokovic has won 10 of his 24 Slam trophies at Melbourne Park since making his Grand Slam debut there in 2005, and was scheduled to begin his bid for Nos. 11 and 25 on Monday against 19-year-old Californian Nishesh Basavareddy, who recently announced he was leaving Stanford University to turn pro.
“It’s a nice number of years that I’ve been coming to Australia,” Djokovic said, “the place where I had the greatest Grand Slam success.”
One big change for him as he seeks to become the first player in tennis history with 25 major singles titles: He is being coached, at least for this event, by his former on-court rival, Andy Murray, who retired as a player last August.
“We thought we’d give it a go and see if I can help,” said Murray, who collected three major titles and two Olympic singles gold medals. “Novak is not just one of the best tennis players of all-time. He’s one of the best athletes of all-time."
One other difference this time in Melbourne is that Djokovic was accompanied by his wife and two children.
Basavareddy, roughly half the age of the 37-year-old Djokovic, grew up cheering for the Serb, as did plenty of other current players.
“He's been my favorite player ever since I started watching (tennis), really,” at about age 6 or 7, Basavareddy said. “Just watched a lot of his matches and tried to learn from him.”
Some opted for Federer, a 20-time major champ, or Nadal, who won 22 Slam titles, as role models, of course.
As time passes, inevitably, Djokovic will move on from his playing days. Just not yet.
And even if he went without a Grand Slam triumph last season for the first time since 2017, the man many call “Nole” did manage to collect the only piece of significant hardware missing from his tremendous resume, an Olympic singles gold medal.
Aiming to rebound from what, for him, was a so-so season, hampered by a surgically repaired knee — the Paris Games success represented his only tournament victory — Djokovic cut his 2024 short, skipping the ATP Finals, and got to work in the offseason with Murray.
Now folks inside and outside the sport wonder how much, exactly, the No. 7-seeded Djokovic plans to compete and what, exactly, he can continue to win.
“It was a sad moment when Roger went, because the injuries had a lot to do with it. And Rafa also struggled with injuries. Nole is still quite fit, I have to say,” said Wesley Koolhof, 35, who retired last year with one Grand Slam title in men's doubles and one in mixed doubles. “You know it’s going to happen at one point that all the legends are going to retire. Nole is still going strong. Who knows how many years he has left in him?”
There is little doubt among his fellow players that Djokovic is not to be dismissed.
“For me,” said Alexander Zverev, a two-time major finalist who is seeded No. 2 in Australia, “he’s still one of the best players in the world.”
Asked what he expects to see from Djokovic in Australia, Carlos Alcaraz smiled and replied: “A really dangerous player.”
“If he goes to Australia ... hungry," said Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals and lost to him in the Olympic final, "(he) is going to be one of the favorites to win.”