Novak Djokovic celebrated his 38th birthday with a side of sweet victory over Matteo Arnaldi.
On Thursday, May 22, the 24-time Grand Slam champion reached the Geneva Open semi-finals as he took the revenge of his April's Madrid Masters lost from the Italian.
Djokovic showed off his skills as he dominated the damp condition with 6-4 6-4, continuing his journey towards French Open on a positive note.
Novak Djokovic and a smashed racket on court
During the intense match, Djokovic smashed his racket after going 4-1 down and displayed some discomfort on the knee, which required surgery last June.
After taking out his frustration on the racket, he seemed to reset as he turned the game once again in his favour.
In the post-match interview, Djokovic noted that the brief incident helped him find an "optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to be able to play my best tennis when it was most needed."
The 38-year-old tennis star will be facing Cameron Norrie at the semi-final, who defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Djokovic, after being presented with a birthday cake, shared at the on-court interview, "Last year I played semi-finals. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further – that's a goal."
He also apologised about the incident at the court noting, "I'm sorry about the racket, it's not a good example particularly for the young ones."
Novak Djokovic is just two wins away from his 100th ATP Tour-level singles title – a record achieved only by Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.
