World no. 1 and two-time Masters 1000 champion Novak Djokovic is through to the 107th ATP final and the 48th at Masters 1000 series after a thrilling 7-6, 7-6 triumph over Dominic Thiem in two hours and 22 minutes. Playing the best tournament since the Australian Open when he claimed the 15th Grand Slam title, Novak will fight for the crown against Rafael Nadal or Stefanos Tsitsipas who are scheduled to meet in the second semi-final later today. It was one of the best matches of the season on clay so far, especially in the first set when they pushed each other to the limits with some marvelous hitting from both wings, covering the baseline beautifully and giving the crowd something to cheer about in almost every point. The intensity dropped a little bit in set number two but the excitement was still there in every point, with Novak managing to win nine points more and prevail when it mattered the most in both sets to cross the finish line first and book a place in the third Madrid final. They both had more unforced errors than winners which is completely normal considering the grueling pace and Djokovic had the upper hand in both the shortest and mid-range exchanges, hitting 25% of service winners and doing more damage with the first serve. On the other hand, Thiem had his chances, creating ten break points and converting only three, allowing Novak to steal his serve three times from as many opportunities and losing ground in both tie breaks to miss a chance of reaching the third straight Madrid final. The Austrian kicked off the match in a stronger fashion, opening a 3-1 lead before Novak broke back at 2-3, fending off a couple of break points in game nine and claiming the tie break 7-2 with a service winner after 64 minutes. Just like in the opener Dominic had the advantage in set number two that didn't last for long, suffering a break at 15 in game seven to bring Novak in and finding himself on the verge of defeat when the Serb broke him at 5-5, serving for the match in the next game. Fighting until the very end, Thiem broke back at love to set up a tie break and extend the set and his chances before Novak clinched five of the last six points in the breaker to seal the deal and avoid more drama and time on the court.<doc-sep>Madrid Open: Djokovic and Thiem prepare for semi-final FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. That is the view of Amazon Prime analysts Daniela Hantuchova and Greg Rusedski. Djokovic eased past Taylor Fritz and Jeremy Chardy in his opening two rounds but his quarter-final against Marin Cilic was cancelled after the Croatian withdrew with food poisoning. It means Djokovic does start his semi-final with Thiem with a full day's rest but without court time in his legs. And speaking ahead of the match, Hantuchova and Rusedski discussed whether Djokovic would be helped or hindered by not playing a match. Hantuchova said: “For sure he is happy to be in the semi-finals but the more matches he gets to play, the better for him. “So it is very hard to predict what is going to happen today. “We haven’t really seen a tested Novak. It’s been very routine matches. “But it does look like he is serious about his game again. Novak Djokovic plays Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals Dominic Thiem is the in-form man on the ATP Tour Rusedski then added: “He’s played Taylor Fritz, he’s played Jeremy Chardy, who’s never won a set against him and Cilic would have been ideal preparation because it is a step up in class and he has always pushed historically. “Now he’s playing the guy that’s probably the hottest player on the planet right having won in Barcelona and the Masters series in Indian Wells. “This is a big step up. But the big boys all of sudden get up for this sort of match so I expect Djokovic to lift his level today.” Given Thiem’s form, some have made the Austrian the favourite against Djokovic.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Thiem came from a set down to save two match points and knock Federer out of the Madrid Open quarter-finals yesterday. The Austrian takes on world No 1 Djokovic looking for a spot in the final this afternoon. However, Hutchanova has big expectations for the man many expect to be Nadal’s heir on clay. Thiem always accumulates the majority of his ATP points on the red dirt and in his current form he is definitely one of the favourites heading into the French Open.<doc-sep>Bernat Armangue/Associated Press Roger Federer failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2019 Madrid Open after Dominic Thiem beat him in three sets on Friday. The Austrian will face Novak Djokovic for a place in the final, while Rafael Nadal takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic earned a walkover win over Marin Cilic, who was forced to pull out of the match due to illness: Federer and Dominic Thiem served up a great contest between in-form stars, setting the tone for a great day of tennis. Tsitsipas beat Alexander Zverev in three sets, before Nadal easily handled Stanislas Wawrinka, in what was described as the best quarter-final lineup of the season: In the women's draw, Simona Halep beat Belinda Bencic to book her place in the final. She'll face Kiki Bertens, who beat Sloane Stephens. Here are the results from Friday. Video Play Button Videos you might like Men's Quarter-Finals (1) Novak Djokovic beats (9) Marin Cilic: Walkover (5) Dominic Thiem beats (4) Roger Federer: 3-6, 7-6 (11), 6-4 (2) Rafael Nadal beats Stanislas Wawrinka: 6-1, 6-2 (8) Stefanos Tsitsipas beats (3) Alexander Zverev: 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 Women's Semi-Finals (3) Simona Halep beats Belinda Bencic: 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-0 (7) Kiki Bertens beats (8) Sloane Stephens: 6-2, 7-5 Full results can be found at the tournament's official website, along with the schedule. While the fans who secured a ticket for the incredible set of men's quarter-finals will have been disappointed to miss out on the clash between Djokovic and Cilic, Federer and Thiem soon made them forget all about that. Per Tennis TV, the duo carried excellent form into their contest: Thiem has become a clay specialist in the past few seasons, doing plenty of damage with his power from the baseline, and Federer came up with a tactical plan to counter the Austrian's advantage in the rallies. The 37-year-old played ultra-aggressive, abandoning the slow buildup play usually seen on clay in favour of a style more typically suited to hard courts. He also relied heavily on his serve: It led to a dominant first set, in which Thiem found no answer for the veteran's aggressive play, but the 25-year-old made the necessary adjustments at the start of the second set. The two were evenly matched during the set and throughout an epic tiebreak, and Thiem fought his way out of a hole and faced two match points before tying things up. By the third set, he had figured out how to deal with Federer's aggressive tactics, winning to line up a semi-final against Djokovic. Nadal cruised through his quarter-final contest, losing just three games to Wawrinka. The Spaniard seems to be rounding into form at the right time: The French Open, the highlight of the clay season, will start on May 26. Thiem shocked Nadal in Barcelona, knocking the King of Clay out in two sets, but the 32-year-old has only improved since. In the women's draw, 22-year-old Bencic gave Halep a slight scare in the second set before the latter powered through her opponent in the final set. The two provided several highlights, with this rally standing out: Halep is a two-time winner in Madrid and will seek her first title since 2017.<doc-sep>
Novak Djokovic is aiming to win a second French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway That is the view of former British No 1 and Amazon Prime pundit Greg Rusedski. Djokovic is in semi-final action at the Madrid Open today against Dominic Thiem with a potential final against Rafael Nadal to come. The world No 1 has looked more like his old self this week in Madrid and he enjoys playing in Rome where the Italian Open takes place next week. The Serbian will be the top seed when the French Open gets underway at the end of the month but 11-time champion Rafael Nadal will be the favourite going into Roland Garros and Thiem is being strongly tipped to go deep in Paris. Speaking ahead of Djokovic’s clash with Thiem in Madrid, Rusedski called on the 15-time Grand Slam champion to regain his focus. “Novak has got to focus on what he does best which is tennis,” Rusedski said. “Rafa is not happy with himself right now having not won a title. But you see him working towards that and getting closer and closer to his best. “With Novak, we still don’t know where he is leading into the French [Open] and he is leaving it very late.” Novak Djokovic has looked strong at the Madrid Open When the French Open starts, Djokovic will be playing to become the first man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slams on two occasions. And the 31-year-old is well aware of what is at stake and is humbled by the opportunity to rewrite history. “I think I’m approaching it with more experience now. I’m approaching it with less additional pressure,” he said. “I say “additional” because the pressure is already there. I mean, it’s normal in a way.