Novak Djokovic marked his 38th birthday in style by advancing to the semifinals of Geneva Open, avenging a recent loss to Matteo Arnaldi with a gritty 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The win keeps the 24-time Grand Slam champion on track for his 100th career title and offers a timely confidence boost ahead of Roland Garros.
Despite rain-soaked conditions and a second-set scare, Novak Djokovic showed trademark resilience to defeat Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets on Thursday and book his place in the semifinals of the Geneva Open. The sixth-ranked Serbian, who received a wild card into the tournament after skipping Rome, came from 4-1 down in the second set to seal a 6-4, 6-4 win.
The victory served as sweet revenge for Djokovic, who was upset by Arnaldi in the opening round of the Madrid Open last month. It also marked his first win on clay this season after early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
“It’s great to be in the semifinals again. Last year I played the semifinals. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further. That’s the goal,” Djokovic said after the match, where he was also presented with a birthday cake on court.
Djokovic briefly caused concern when he clutched his right knee—previously operated on for a torn meniscus—after stretching for a shot in the second set. However, he quickly shrugged off the discomfort and found his rhythm, winning five consecutive games to close out the match.
“I think I’m playing really, really good tennis,” he said. “Today it was a lot of tension on the court. A straight-sets win, but it was much closer than the score indicates.”
He credited a burst of frustration after dropping serve for helping him refocus: “Somehow after that racquet breaking I didn’t lose a game and kind of found my optimal state and balance, mentally and emotionally.”
Djokovic will face British qualifier Cameron Norrie next, who defeated Australian fifth seed Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in the final quarter-final of the day.
In the other semifinal, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who knocked out top seed Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), will take on Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner. Ofner pulled off a comeback to beat fourth seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
With the French Open just around the corner, Djokovic appears to be building momentum at just the right time.
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