Novak Djokovic faced Dominik Koepfer of Germany for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics quarter-final and bested him fairly comfortably with some minor moments of struggle.
After confirming his contender for the gold medal status by dominating against Rafael Nadal, the Serbian stepped up today to face Koepfer. The German has been playing great tennis in recent months, and he certainly proved that in this match.
Despite being the underdog, Koepfer wasn't afraid of the matchup against the top seed. It's an interesting matchup for him, even though his opponent has 24 Grand Slam titles, and the last time they played, it was also a competitive match.
This meeting was like that as well, even though it didn't seem like that after four games of play. Djokovic was up 3-1 and seemed in control; however, Koepfer battled back and made it 3-3.
The German has looked great in Paris this year, beating good players like Milos Raonic and Matteo Arnaldi before this match. He generally plays very aggressive tennis, and he is a leftie, which can do a lot of damage and did so in this match as well.
The main part for Koepfer would be how he handles his service games because the return of his opponent is a serious threat. He would have a chance if he could keep it close, as Djokovic's minor collapse against Nadal showed.
If he struggled in his service games, then that would be a major problem. He served well in this match, but he couldn't keep up in the rallies. If he didn't create speed with his serve, he was limited in what he could do, as Djokovic's shot quality was simply superior.
That was one of the main reasons why the German couldn't put too much pressure on the 37-year-old's serve. He tried and attacked, but the shot quality simply wasn't there to do too much damage.
On his own serve, though, he was able to resist, despite Djokovic pushing hard. It wasn't the most brilliant performance by the Olympic bronze medalist, but he was still on top, avoiding a tie-break by winning the opening set 7-5.
That was important for the World No. 2, as Koepfer served better and outhit him in some moments of that first set. Expectedly, the German dropped his level a little bit in the second set, especially after losing it, so Djokovic was able to hold his opening service game easily and then break immediately for a 2-0 lead.
The type of shots that Koepfer was hitting in the first set didn't fall for him in the second, and it made all the difference. Djokovic remained very stable with his level, which would always be the difference between them.
After taking that initial lead, Djokovic had no issues keeping it. In fact, Koepfer struggled to remain only one break behind, but somehow, he was able to do it and remain competitive until the very last game.
In the end, the Serbian was able to cruise to the finish line without any issues to win the match 7-5, 6-3 and once again reach the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games.
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