Novak Djokovic storms past Dominic Thiem into Rome final
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Updated 20/05/2017 at 20:47 GMT
Novak Djokovic stormed past Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-0 to reach the final of the ATP Masters in Rome.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning a point during his semi final match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2017 at Foro Italico on May 20, 2017 in Rome, Italy.
Image credit: Getty Images
Having beaten Juan Martin del Potro in earlier in the day after it was halted by rain on Friday Djokovic showed no signs of fatigue.
In fact if anything he seemed to be perfectly warmed up as he followed up a 20-shot rally in the first point to emphatically take the first set.
In contrast to his memorable victory over Rafael Nadal in the quarter-final Thiem looked rusty and missed a number of shots, the type he was making against Nadal, and the Austrian finished the first set with seven unforced errors.
Djokovic broke in the first game of the second and crucially held despite Thiem going to 0-30.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a shot during his semi final match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2017 at Foro Italico on May 20, 2017 in Rome, Italy.
Image credit: Getty Images
Another big push from Djokovic saw him go 3-0 up which was celebrated with a gutteral roar, a recurring theme throughout the match.
He saved two break points in the fourth and then broke and served out again to complete the bagel and win the match.
He will now face another talented youngster, Alexander Zverev, in the final.
Speaking afterwards Djokovic said that the game was his "Best by far, obviously," of 2017
"The closest I got to this level was the final against Andy (Murray) in Doha in the first week of the season (which Djokovic won). Otherwise, I've been struggling to find the right level and be consistent," Djokovic added.
"This game brought back some amazing feelings and memories on the court so I'm really glad,
"I was looking to have a nice balance between the right intensity and the fire and feeling satisfied and happy, calm again on the court and finding the joy of playing because, to be honest, I lost that in the last seven, eight months.
"There was fire but perhaps too much fire. Now I feel I'm on the right track and things are progressing well,"
Can Djokovic win in Paris?
It was a commanding performance that only goes to strengthen the view that this may be one of Djokovic's best seasons on clay.
Up until yesterday it was pretty much assumed that Nadal will sweep all before him in France and despite the defeat to Thiem the Spaniard is still clearly the favourite.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning a point during his semi final match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2017 at Foro Italico on May 20, 2017 in Rome, Italy.
Image credit: Getty Images
However whilst Andy Murray continues to search for anything regarding form Djokovic is firmly back in the groove, the wry smile is back and he looks so much more comfortable moving about the court.
Thiem and Zverev represent the future, particularly on clay, but a Nadal-Djokovic final could be the most likely scenario. If we get there then all bets are off...
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