Novak Djokovic continue sa route tranquillement dans ce Roland-Garros. Ce mardi, le Serbe a cédé une manche à Karen Khachanov mais pas de quoi l'inquiéter. En costaud, il est imposé 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4. Bousculé pendant deux manches et timoré, Nole a ensuite lâché les chevaux en s'imposant 7-0. Sûr de ses forces, Djokovic a décroché une 45e demi-finale en Grand Chelem. Seul Roger Federer a fait mieux avec 46 au compteur. A Wimbledon, "Djoko" aura l'occasion d'égaler le record et peut-être de le battre à l'US Open. En ce qui concernant Roland-Garros, Djokovic jouera sa 12e demi-finale et visera une 7e finale vendredi.
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00:00 It is often said that tennis is an individual sport,
00:04 but it is never more beautiful than when it is collective.
00:09 BNP Paribas, faithful to tomorrow's tennis for 50 years.
00:15 It was probably the turning point of the match.
00:18 Winning the second set or losing the second set would be quite a big difference.
00:25 But, yeah, probably two different matches in one.
00:30 Match today, first couple sets.
00:34 Probably the worst two sets I've played so far in the tournament.
00:42 And then the third and fourth were quite good.
00:45 I kind of held my nerves in the tie-break of the second play.
00:50 The perfect tie-break, really. Amazing tie-break.
00:53 Every single point I played it in a perfect manner.
00:56 That gave me confidence boost and I started swinging through the ball a bit more.
01:01 Feeling more comfortable on the court and played a really good third set.
01:06 Had things in control until 15-40 in the fourth.
01:11 Then played a bit loose three or four points.
01:15 Then I complicated my own life by losing the serve in the next game.
01:20 But, yeah, managed to regroup very quickly and played a perfect eight points to finish the match.
01:27 Noak, you've been quite critical of yourself over the last ten days and your performances.
01:34 But you're still here, you're in the semi-finals.
01:38 How difficult is it going to be to try and lift your level over the next couple of days
01:42 so that you can be at your best in a semi-final where you'll definitely face someone
01:46 who's at least been to a Grand Slam final, if not won one?
01:49 Well, look, you have to try to be at your best on a given day.
01:56 Everything was going in a great direction and then I stepped out on the court today
02:05 and probably part of me stayed in the locker room.
02:08 That's how I felt and that's how I played.
02:10 But also credit to Karin for serving well, playing well,
02:13 but I made so many unforced errors and just had a terrible start.
02:18 But that happens.
02:20 The good thing about Grand Slams is that even if you lose the first couple of sets
02:27 you still have a chance to win.
02:29 It's not the first match that I managed to turn things around.
02:34 These kinds of wins serve as a great confidence booster mentally,
02:41 also physically and emotionally for me.
02:44 It's important to win a match where you were losing or you were being down
02:50 and then you came back and won a match.
02:52 Especially at the latter stages of a Grand Slam against the top players.
02:57 Now I have a couple of days off, two days actually, which is good I think.
03:03 To recover all the physical energy as possible and then give it all on Friday.
03:13 Of course it's a big success.
03:18 I am self-critical but I am also content with the result.
03:23 I have to be at the semi-finals of a Grand Slam and it's exactly where I want to be.
03:28 Hopefully I can have another win on Friday.
03:32 Novak, you sort of answered my question.
03:34 Do you see a good side to the fact that you struggled in the first two sets
03:38 and were able to come back in terms of confidence?
03:41 If you find yourself in this kind of tough position?
03:45 Yeah, absolutely. That's what I said.
03:47 I didn't drop a set until today and pretty much played really good and dominant tennis.
03:54 Of course it's expected towards the end of the tournament to have a good result.
04:01 The tournament to have even bigger challenges and players that have possessed a great quality
04:09 that can win a set or two off you.
04:12 That's what happened today.
04:14 I take it as a really positive thing and I'll analyse my game from today with my team
04:23 and be better prepared for the next one because I definitely need to have a better start in the semis.
04:30 Novak, you and Carlos have been missing each other over the last year at tournaments.
04:36 If it is Carlos that you play, how much will you relish that occasion?
04:39 A lot of players have talked about the kind of joy he brings to tennis.
04:44 What do you think he's brought to the sport?
04:47 He carries himself very well, no doubt.
04:51 A very nice guy on and off the court and brings a lot of intensity on the court.
04:58 He reminds me of someone from his country, he plays with his left hand.
05:02 He deserves his success, no doubt.
05:06 He's working hard and he's a very complete player already and only aged 20.
05:14 We played only once in Madrid last year. It was a 7-6 in the third for him.
05:22 We haven't played since.
05:26 You're right, most of the tournaments this year we were not in the same draw.
05:29 Here we are. If it comes to that match, that's the match a lot of people want to see.
05:36 It's definitely the biggest challenge for me so far in the tournament.
05:41 If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
05:45 He's definitely a guy to beat here, so I'm looking forward to that.
05:49 But he has to win against Tizipas, let's not forget about that.
05:54 We cannot disrespect Stefanos, who has played finals here and is a top player for many years.
06:02 Let's see what happens tonight.
06:05 When you go from struggling a bit within a match to suddenly essentially perfect,
06:14 that tiebreaker that followed with one unforced error,
06:20 can you explain at all how you turn that around and make that switch?
06:25 How much of it is a strategy thing, a mindset thing, a decision to take fewer risks on shots?
06:33 Whatever the case may be.
06:35 In the tiebreaker, the format is such that you serve every two points.
06:39 Every point matters, really. Every point can decide in which direction tiebreak is going to go.
06:47 I think it's a kind of mentality of a lockdown.
06:50 I'm present, I'm focused only on the next point and I have to really think clearly about what I want to do.
06:58 Obviously, depending on who you're facing and a given opponent.
07:04 It worked really well for me. I must say I played a perfect tiebreak, seven-love.
07:10 Every single point was perfectly scripted for me, so to say.
07:17 Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
07:20 I was lucky that throughout my career I have a very good and positive score in the tiebreaks.
07:27 My opponents know that and I know that, so I think mentally that serves me well.
07:35 Coming into every next tiebreak, I know I maybe have that mental edge, so I try to use it.
07:44 Last one in English, Max.
07:46 Over here, right next to Howard.
07:49 Did you sense after the tiebreak a change in him?
07:53 You said in previous matches sometimes even when you're down, one little chink.
07:59 You sense all of a sudden things are your way.
08:04 Yeah, it was. I played a perfect tiebreak, he didn't win a single point.
08:10 I felt a bit down and then I used right away the momentum, broke his serve in the very first game of the third set.
08:16 It's normal. Things like this happen when you are leading as he was for most of the first couple of sets.
08:24 Then I managed to have a perfect couple of minutes of tennis and turn things around.
08:32 Then the energy of the court shifted to my side and I felt the momentum.
08:38 I started releasing and relaxing through my shots a bit more and going for it with more confidence.
08:49 He backed up a bit, so it's normal.
08:52 You have these moments of confidence and doubt inside of you in a best of five match many, many times.
09:02 The momentum shifts quite often in matches like this where he's so close.
09:08 close.