Playing 13 hours and 47 minutes on court to reach the quarterfinals has been too much for Kei Nishikori. He was forced to retire from his match against world no. 1 and six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.
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Photos: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a backhand in his quarterfinal match against Kei Nishikori of Japan during day 10 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The no. 8 seed required treatment and strapping to his right thigh after the first set, and then he decided to call it quits after falling behind by two breaks in the second set, the match lasting just 52 minutes. Nishikori’s previous match had lasted just over five hours.
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Photo: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: Kei Nishikori of Japan and Novak Djokovic of Serbia embrace at the net following their quarter final match during day 10 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Djokovic will next face France’s Lucas Pouille who will be playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal. The Frenchman defeated Milos Raonic in the first quarterfinal of the day. Djokovic will be competing in his seventh Australian Open semifinal having won all six previous visits to the semis, then going on to win the title on each occasion.
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Photo: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: Lucas Pouille of France celebrates winning his quarterfinal match against Milos Raonic of Canada during day 10 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
The early finish for the match would be a bonus for the Serbian as he was suffering from a stiff back in the late stages of his fourth-round victory over Daniil Medvedev.
In the other semifinal, we will see a battle between Rafael Nadal and Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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