Men’s Semifinal: [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [19] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
It was the first time that Bautista Agut had ever defeated a number one ranked player. It was the first time in six attempts that he was able to defeat Djokovic. With the straight sets (6-4, 6-4) victory over the number one ranked, seeded player and defending champion, he got the added reward of making it to his first Masters 1000 final. All in all it was a wonderful day for the Spaniard; however, his work is not done. Tomorrow he must come out and try to duplicate what he did today. In two attempts he has never even won a set against Murray. Can he turn things around tomorrow? Murray has his eyes focused on the number one ranking and winning this match will go a long way to getting him closer to his goal.
Once almost viewed as invincible, Djokovic has had a rather up and down season by his standards. The first inkling that something was wrong was his loss to Jiri Vesely in Monte Carlo. That could have been shrugged off as a bad day; however, everyone took notice when he lost to Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon. Suddenly, the aura of invincibility was no more. Now more and more players feel they have a chance where previously there was zero probability of beating him. His most significant loss was the straight sets defeat by Juan Martin Del Potro at the Olympics. Another big indication that something is definitely wrong was his match yesterday against the 110th ranked German. Why is Djokovic struggling to find his form? On the surface there are no obvious reasons; however, we know that there may be physical and or emotional reasons that can be affecting his focus and ultimately his game.
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