WORLD NUMBER ONE Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open semi-finals in just 51 minutes this morning as Kei Nishikori retired injured with the score 6-1, 4-1.
Nishikori had endured three five-set epics during 13hr 47min on court before the quarter-final clash and suffered a thigh strain in the first set as the marathon matches took their toll.
Eighth seed Nishikori began to suffer early in the first set and was a shadow of his usual fighting self as he lost in 31 minutes.
After a medical timeout and three minutes of treatment from the physiotherapist, Nishikori emerged for the second set with his right thigh strapped and courageously attempted to carry on.
He seemed to be moving a little more freely, but the recovery did not last long.
After being broken to go 2-1 down by the Serbian 14-time Grand Slam champion Nishikori became almost immobilised.
When Djokovic broke again to go 4-1 ahead it proved the last straw for Nishikori’s brave challenge.
With all chance of winning gone, the pair shook hands at the net as the Japanese number one decided it would be better not to risk any further long-term damage.
Djokovic immediately wished his old foe Nishikori a speedy recovery after beating him for the 16th time in 18 meetings.
“I love to battle, especially against Kei, we have played so many matches in our careers,” said the Serb, who is chasing a record seventh Australian Open title.
I hope you can recover. I hope it’s not something serious that will take too long. I wish him a speedy recovery.
“I’m sorry for everybody for not having a full match tonight but thank you for showing up.”
Djokovic was exhausted after his late-night four-set win over Daniil Medvedev on Monday and made no secret of his delight to escape the quarter-final with such a light workout.
“As they say, this is exactly what the doctor ordered for me after the match two nights ago,” Djokovic said. “Not to spend too much time on the court.
“I’ve had plenty of matches so far this year and I am in another semi-final and I will do everything to get ready for that one.”
Djokovic will now meet Lucas Pouille on Friday after he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final by ousting Milos Raonic in four sets.
The 28th seed fought back from a break down in the first set to win 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4.
He recently recruited 2006 Melbourne Park champion Amelie Mauresmo to his team after a splitting with long-time coach Emmanuel Planque in the off-season. And he gave a curt reply to John McEnroe he asked if recruiting a female coach was a trend.
"She knows everything about tennis. It's not about being a woman or a man." @la_pouille is full of praise for his coach Amelie Mauresmo #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/1j70gZPVvF
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 23, 2019
Former world number three Raonic raced to a 3-0 lead after breaking Pouille’s first service game as the Frenchman seemed to take a few minutes to adjust to the magnitude of the occasion on Rod Laver Arena.
Pouille soon settled into the match so effectively that he not only broke back at 5-3 down but he also held break points again at 5-5.
Raonic resisted to take it to a tiebreak but Pouille had the momentum and secured the set on the back of 18 winners to only five unforced errors.
“I really wanted to return as much as possible and make him play, take care of my serve and not put too much pressure on myself,” said Pouille. “I just enjoyed the moment.”
Pouille had equalled his best Slam performance by reaching the quarter-final and was aiming to become the first Frenchman to reach the last four at any major since Gael Monfils at the 2016 US Open.
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