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DUBAI — Novak Djokovic, who continued his march towards a third title in as many tournaments this season with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the Dubai quarterfinals on Thursday, is waiting to hear if the US government will allow him to enter the country without being vaccinated.
The Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells begins on March 8 and Djokovic said a decision will be made one way or the other before the draw for the ATP tournament is conducted on Monday at 3pm local time.
“Whatever the decision is before the draw, if I’m not allowed, I’m going to pull out, of course, before the draw,” assured Djokovic.
The world No 1, seeking a sixth career title in the northern emirate, improved to 5-0 against Hurkacz, 15-0 for the season, and has extended his overall winning streak to 20 consecutive matches, dating back to last November’s ATP Finals.
“It was a challenging match as it always is against Hubert. One of the best guys on the tour definitely, fantastic personality, very lovable guy,” said Djokovic, who now awaits the winner of the late clash between Daniil Medvedev and Borna Coric. The 35-year-old faced zero break points on his own serve and was an impressive 12/13 at the net, needing just 71 minutes to close out the victory.
“I think he’s got one of the best serves in the game,” Djokovic said of the 11th-ranked Hurkacz.
“In the second set, until that 11th game, I didn’t really have too many chances against his serve.
“Fortunately for me I also found the rhythm on my serve throughout the second set. I’m really glad with how I played under pressure.” Earlier in the day, Alexander Zverev reached his first semifinal since tearing three ligaments in his right ankle during his clash with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last June— AFP
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