Novak Djokovic celebrated his 38th birthday with a side of sweet victory over Matteo Arnaldi, the Serbian showcased his exceptional form, reaching the semifinals.
Djokovic, who lost to the Italian in April, came through a stern test in damp conditions and showed off his dominating skills with 6-4 6-4, continuing his journey towards French Open preparations in positive fashion.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion Dojokovic reached the Geneva Open semi-finals as he took the revenge of his April's Madrid Masters lost from the Italian.
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.
He will face a semi-final against Cameron Norrie, who staged an impressive fightback to beat Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
The Briton is into his first semi-final of the season and while facing Djokovic is a daunting prospect, he will take heart from his performance.
It didn't start well, however, as he trailed Popyrin 5-3 in the first set but impressively dug in to turn things around, drawing level before forcing the tiebreak.
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.”
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.
