"My level of tennis is getting better and better" - Novak Djokovic after his crushing QF win over Kei Nishikori at the Olympics
Novak Djokovic cruised past home favorite Kei Nishikori on Thursday to book his spot in the semifinals of the men's singles event at the Tokyo Olympics. The World No. 1 wasted no time in completing a 6-2, 6-0 win over the Japanese.
Djokovic was absolutely ruthless and dominated from start to finish. Despite landing only 48% of his first serves, the Serb lost just 11 points on serve throughout the match and faced just one break point.
Speaking to the media after the match, Djokovic said he was extremely happy with the level of play he showcased against Nishikori.
"Matches are not getting easier, but my level of tennis is getting better and better," Djokovic told ITF Tennis.
"I've done that many, many times in my career: I know that I'm kind of player that the further the tournament goes, the better I'm feeling on the court. That's the case here: my best performance of the tournament tonight against a very good opponent."
"I feel I had an answer for everything" - Novak Djokovic on his flawless display against Nishikori
Kei Nishikori has not been at the top of his game over the last couple of years. Currently ranked No. 69 in the world, the Japanese has struggled to post wins consistently on the tour this season.
But he appeared to have found his best form in Tokyo, where he beat Andrey Rublev, Marcos Giron and Ilya Ivashka en route to the quarterfinals.
However, he was simply no match for Djokovic on the day, with the defeat extending his losing streak against the Serb to 16 matches. The Japanese last beat Djokovic seven years ago in the semifinals of the US Open.
Djokovic admitted he was well aware of Nishikori's strengths and weaknesses and that he had an answer for everything the Japanese threw at him on Thursday.
"Kei, I know his game very well. Him playing in Japan, this court where he had lots of success, I knew that he's going to play very quick and he's not gonna give me a lot of time so I had to be very alert. And I feel I had an answer for everything he had," Djokovic said.
Djokovic will take on fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals on Friday. He's already defeated the German twice this year, first at the ATP Cup and then at the Australian Open. On both occasions, Zverev took a set off Djokovic but failed to defeat the Serb.