By Lance Jenkinson
Top seed Novak Djokovic has dismantled big serving Canadian Milos Raonic in brutal fashion to reaffirm his favouritism for a fifth Australian Open men’s singles crown.
The world No. 1 sauntered into the semi finals with the straight sets 7-6 6-4 6-2 victory in a two hour clinic at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night.
It took 56 minutes and a tiebreaker for Djokovic to wrap up a tough first set, but he put his foot on the accelerator to breeze through the second and third sets.
Djokovic hardly put a foot wrong after breaking Raonic in the first game of the second set, conceding just six games for the remainder of the match.
“Obviously winning it [the first set] in a tiebreak and making the break of serve first game of the second set was definitely huge for me,” Djokovic said. “I could start swinging through a little bit more, be more aggressive into the court.
“You know, since that first game of the second set, I played a great match.”
Djokovic was scarily good from that point on.
His serve was not broken once in the whole match – holding on 15 occasions.
He managed to get hold of Raonic’s service game three times.
Raonic drew the whoa’s from the crowd as his serve was hitting upwards of 220km/h on the radar gun, but it did not fluster Djokovic, who seemed to have the mentality of the faster it comes, the quicker it goes back.
Djokovic’s work around the court was a sight to behold.
If there is a player who covers the hard court better than the Serbian, he did not show up at this year’s tournament.
The crowd took delight in Djokovic’s work rate, his ability to make the impossible return possible.
The smooth moving 27-year-old does it with such grace, too, with some of his slice shots put on a dime, leaving Raonic shaking his head in amazement.
“Tonight there was not much I could complain about,” Djokovic said. “From the first game till the last I played the way I wanted, I created a lot of breakpoint opportunities.
“The key of tonight’s match, one of the keys, was to get as many balls back in play. I thought from the back of the court I had more chance than him to win the points. I executed very, very well. It’s easier said than done, but I feel very good about my game in this moment.”
Djokovic is a man on a mission.
He cut a no-nonsense, businessman-like figure, leaving Raonic to please the fans with scorching serves and a between-the-legs shot, while he sealed a passage through to the final four.
Djokovic will face fourth seed and defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka in the semi final on Friday.
Wawrinka was a straight sets 6-3 6-4 7-6 winner over Japan’s Kei Nishikori earlier in the day.
Djokovic, a seasoned pro when it comes to the pointy end of grand slams, particularly in Melbourne, thrives on the chance to take on the tournament’s best.
“It never gets old being in the last four of the grand slam, sometimes, you know, obviously people around you think this is something that is normal from a top player, to reach that final stage,” he said.
“You’re expected to perform well and reach semifinals of a Grand Slam. But I don’t take anything for granted. I try to be aware that there are thousands of players around the world who are fighting equally as I am to be in this position. So that keeps me grounded, and I try to enjoy every moment and work hard for what I have.”
2015 AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Singles draw – semi finals
Thursday
Not before 1.30pm
Ekaterina Makarova v Maria Sharapova
Serena Williams v Madison Keys
Not before 7.30pm
Tomas Berdych v Andy Murray
Friday
Novak Djokovic v Stanislas Wawrinka
