WATCH: Fireworks stop match between Djokovic & Shapovalov in Adelaide
ATP
Novak Djokovic might have wanted to have a smooth ride to the semi-finals at the 2023 Adelaide International, but he was interrupted in his quarter-final match.
After beating Frenchmen Constant Lestienne and Quentin Halys, the Serbian player took on the seventh seed at the tournament, Denis Shapovalov, who is always a dangerous opponent.
However, things didn't go quite as planned in his quarter-final match against the Canadian. Just three games into the match, the players were forced to stop and wait due to fireworks that appeared nearby.
The players were forced to sit on the bench for 10 minutes until the fireworks finished. It was a really unexpected situation for both players, which might have disturbed their rhythm for a moment.
It was a frustrating moment for both players, but they remained professional and were able to continue the match once it resumed. Djokovic even saw the funny side of it.
The Serbian player was then able to regroup and eventually defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament.
He will now face his rival from the upcoming generation of players, Daniil Medvedev, who beat his friend and compatriot Karen Khachanov in his quarter-final match.
Both are currently in a good form, as their journey to the semi-final in Adelaide showed. The two previously met in two Grand Slam finals in 2021. Djokovic was the better player at the Australian Open, but the US Open final later that year was won by Medvedev.
They will be hoping that their match won't see a similar interruption as the one between the Serbian and Shapovalov, as fireworks interrupting a tennis match is something very rare and while fans probably enjoyed the show, they would much rather see tennis players battle it out on the tennis court.
