WATCH: Andrey Rublev smashes his racket in frustration as Novak Djokovic makes an epic comeback to reach the Paris Masters finals

Djokovic prevailed 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 against the fifth-seeded Rublev.

WATCH: Andrey Rublev smashes his racket in frustration as Novak Djokovic makes an epic comeback to reach the Paris Masters finals

Andrey Rublev smashes his racket in frustration at Paris Masters semifinal (Via Tennis TV/X)

Novak Djokovic went on to reach his ninth finals at the Paris Masters, after defeating Russian Andrey Rublev in an epic 3-set thriller. The 24-time Grand Slam Champion will now face Grigor Dimitrov in the finals.

The semi-final clash was an intense one. With Rublev winning the opening set, the second set was full of drama and emotions as Djokovic went on to win the second set to carry the match to the third and deciding set. The Serbian seemed to be getting his rhythm back in the final set as he proceeded to stage an epic comeback to defeat Rublev.

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Rublev was visibly extremely dissatisfied with his tough loss and was evidently angry with himself due to the missed opportunities. He was so furious that he smashed his racket in frustration after losing out to the Serb in an intense and close semi-final clash between the two.

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This is not the first time Rublev has shown his frustration on court after losing a match. Recently, during the Asian leg of the tour, the Russian smashed his racket in anger over the missed opportunities against Hubert Hurkacz in the finals of the Shanghai Open. Hubert won the title in an epic 3-set thriller with the final set closing out in a very close and intense tie break.

The Paris Masters’ semi-final clash had everything one could ask for. It was full of drama, with the crowd also actively engaging during the match when they were booing against the Serb.

Everything seemed to be going well for Rublev, until the 24-time Grand Slam Champion decided to up his game. Rublev was evidently very furious at his loss and was shouting in anger after Djokovic won the match point.

Novak Djokovic defeats Andrey Rublev, will face Grigor Dimitrov in the Paris finals

The 2023 US Open Champion Novak Djokovic will face Bulgarian ace Grigor Dimitrov, in the finals of the Paris Masters, having defeated Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals. The Serbian will be playing in his ninth Paris Masters finals of which he has won six so far.

Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov
Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov (Credits: The New York Times)

On the other hand, Dimitrov is looking in good shape as he recently achieved his 400th career win and will be featuring in his second ATP 1000 finals since 2017.

Djokovic will look to win his seventh title at Paris and secure his year-end No.1 position in the world as well. With a win in the finals, it will be extremely difficult for Carlos Alcaraz to steal the No.1 spot. As things are going now, the Serbian will most probably finish another year being the No. 1 singles player.

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