Novak Djokovic asks Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev to stay patient for Grand Slam glory

Novak Djokovic kept alive his Australian Open title defence after beating World No. 3 Roger Federer in the Australian Open semi-final on Thursday. The World No. 2 overcame his fiercest rival 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-3. It was the fourth time Djokovic had beaten Federer at the semi-final stage in Melbourne after doing the same in 2008, 2011 and 2016. The Serbian will next face either Alexander Zverev or Dominic Thiem, who will face each other for a place in the final on Friday.

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Alexander Zverev vs Dominic Thiem: Novak Djokovic has a message for both

Novak Djokovic, who will bid for his eighth Australian Open title on Sunday, advised his younger challengers to be patient in their pursuit of glory. Speaking during the post-match on-court interview, he said that as a young player you want everything right away and there’s no waiting. He further said that every player dreams of becoming the world’s top player and Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev are some of the best young players that play this game. They have set high goals and ambitions for themselves and they definitely have the potential to be there.

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Speaking about his hunger for success at an early age, Novak Djokovic said that one thing that he was probably lacking was a little bit was patience and just trusting the process a little bit more. He added that at times, he was rushing a little bit too much and getting frustrated about details and small things in life. Novak Djokovic, in his interview, also said that the younger players are now coming up and challenging the likes of himself, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to reach Grand Slam finals. He concluded that it will be inevitable that Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev will be competing in the Grand Slam finals more frequently in the future.

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Australian Open: Alexander Zverev vs Dominic Thiem semi-final

Alexander Zverev, 22, will be aiming to reach his maiden Grand Slam final on Friday when he takes on Dominic Thiem. The 26-year-old Dominic Thiem has already had the experience of playing in the final of Grand Slam after losing the last two Roland Garros finals to Rafael Nadal.

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