Serbian wizard of La Caja Magica

The finest Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has eased his way into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters ATP tournament with a latest win over Andreas Seppi – 6-4 6-4. However, the third-round encounter was anything but a cruise, as Novak had to work hard to beat the Italian for a sixth time in as many matches.


Djokovic made a dream start to the match, winning the first 14 points and taking the early 3-0 lead. However, at that moment tables turned and Seppi was composed and controlling the play. Djokovic was stringing error after error and the Italian was edging closer to making an unlikely full comeback. Then Djokovic started serving better and took a 5-4 lead. The psychological advantage brought the Serb composure and Djokovic clinched the set 6-4 with a crucial break.
Novak has pointed out on several occasions in the past couple of weeks it is paramount for him to remain patient, especially on clay, and thus capitalize on the slightest mistakes of his opponents. He certainly translated that into the second set. Both players held to their own serves, and when Seppi served to stay in the match at 4-5, the pressure bore down on the Italian. A couple of lengthy rallies and some excellent points gave Novak a chance to win the match. The Serb forced an error from Seppi to win the 3rd round match 6-4 6-4.

Djokovic now takes on the winner of the match between Gilles Simon and Ivan Ljubicic in the quarter-final. Based on the recent performances from Djokovic on all clay types, whoever is up against the Serb will have a formidable task ahead of them, as Novak currently looks sharp on the slowest tennis surface.