Aslan Karatsev is now into the final of the tournament, where he will take on Matteo Berrettini. During his press conference after the semifinal win, the Russian talked about just how difficult it is to get the better of Novak Djokovic. He also claimed that he went into the match with the belief that he could beat the Serb, before explaining how he treated every single point like his life depended on it.
Aslan Karatsev saved a whopping 23 break points out of the 28 that he faced against Novak Djokovic. The Russian brought out his best tennis when it mattered the most, going on the attack and taking matters out of his opponent’s hands.
During his press conference, Aslan Karatsev stressed that you need to give your ‘200%’ to stand a chance against Novak Djokovic, given the Serb’s otherworldly defense and never-say-die attitude. Karatsev also liked playing against the Serb to playing against a wall, where ball comes back every single time.
When asked about the thoughts that were running through his mind when faced with the multiple break points, Aslan Karatsev mentioned that he was mainly trying to play aggressively.
“You cannot compare these type of matches” - Aslan Karatsev on his AO semifinal against Novak Djokovic
Aslan Karatsev had also faced Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the 2021 Australian Open. In that match Karatsev began strongly, but the Serb eventually got into his stride and eventually ran away with it.
When asked to compare that match with the one at the Serbia Open, Karatsev pointed out that the World No. 1 was nearly flawless in Melbourne. The Russian also suggested that playing Novak Djokovic on clay is a little easier than doing so on hardcourt.
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