3 milestones Novak Djokovic achieved by reaching Madrid 2022 semifinals
Novak Djokovic beat Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets to move into the Madrid Masters semifinals on Friday.
Producing one of his best performances of the season, the World No. 1 did not face a break point all match as he closed out a 6-3, 6-4 victory in 78 minutes. In the process, he extended his record against Hurkacz to 4-0.
Djokovic had opened his campaign for a fourth Madrid Masters title on Tuesday with a straight-sets win over Frenchman Gael Monfils. That made the Serb the first player in ATP history to beat an opponent 18 times without losing even once. The victory also meant Djokovic would stay atop the ATP rankings for a record-extending 369th week on Monday.
Following a bye in his third-round match against old foe Andy Murray, who withdrew due to illness, Djokovic was in his element against Hurkacz. The 34-year-old dominated the Pole with his controlled aggression, earning a comfortable win to set up a mouthwatering last-four clash with Carlos Alcaraz, who took out Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
With his win against Hurkacz, Djokovic set a few Masters 1000 milestones. Here's a look at three of them:
#1 Novak Djokovic reaches 72nd Masters 1000 semifinal, trails only Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic is a Masters 1000 doyen; he's the all-time title leader with 37 and has lost 17 finals.
With his win over Hurkacz, the Serb moved into a 72nd Masters 1000 semifinal, second only to Nadal (76). Djokovic has reached the last four in the Spanish capital seven times, losing thrice.
On his last visit to the Caja Magica in 2019, Djokovic went all the way. His other titles came in 2011 and 2016.
#2 Novak Djokovic has won 30 matches at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments
Following his wins over Gael Monfils and Hubert Hurkacz, Djokovic has at least 30 victories at each of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
His best tally is in Rome (59), followed by Indian Wells (50). Djokovic has won at least 40 matches in four more tournaments - Miami (44), Cincinnati (40), Shanghai (40) and Paris (41). He has won 37 matches at the Coupe Rogers and 35 at Monte Carlo.
#3 Novak Djokovic becomes first player to reach at least seven semifinals at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments
Novak Djokovic has a lot of firsts in Masters 1000 history. He has the most titles in the tournament category and is the only player to complete the double career golden Masters 1000, winning all nine tournaments at least twice. To put that into perspective, no other player has won all nine tournaments even once.
On Friday against Hurkacz in the Spanish capital, Djokovic added another feather to his cap. He became the first player to rack up at least seven semifinals in all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
Quite expectedly, his best tally is in Rome (12), followed by eight each in Cincinnati, Indian Wells and Shanghai.