‘Great to break the ice’ – Djokovic ends wait for win on clay

With a straight-set victory over Marton Fucsovics, Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of his 100th ATP title.

Djokovic, who turns 38 on Thursday, won 6-2, 6-3 to claim his first clay victory since winning the Golden Slam at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the summer of 2012.

From Sunday, the Serb will go back to Roland Garros, the place where that triumph took place, to defend his 25th major title.

This opening victory in Geneva, which saw Djokovic wrap up a three-match losing streak following first-round defeats in Madrid and Monte Carlo since missing the Miami Open final in March, put an end to his first-round slam of the year.

The sixth-ranked Djokovic will face Matteo Arnaldi from Italy for a spot in the top four, who is seeded second behind Taylor Fritz, who is world number four.

After completing his quest for a win on clay, Djokovic said, “It’s great to break the ice in a way.”

It’s a very demanding surface, the author says. In comparison to other surfaces, clay is a lot more challenging to play on than other materials. You must anticipate making a few more shots.

In a disappointing start to his clay court swing, Djokovic lost to upcoming opponent Arnaldi in Madrid in late April, and that decision was made.

After that loss, the former world no. 1 acknowledged that as a result of his early tournament exits in his later years of success, he was facing a “new reality.”

At the start of his latest effort to become the only player to win 100 tour-level titles in the Open Era, and just four days away from chasing a fourth French Open, this gave him a significant boost in confidence.

In just 77 minutes, Djokovic outclassed the 134th-ranked Fucsovics.

In the sixth game of the second, he delivered the decisive blow by settling the first set with a double break of serve without requiring a single break point.

After compatriot Jacob Fearnley lost to Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-3, on Wednesday, Britain’s Cameron Norrie squared off against Czech player Tomas Machac.