PARIS: Novak Djokovic found his rhythm in the punishing heat to beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, staying on track for an elusive gold.
The Serbian top seed, who crushed Rafael Nadal in the previous round, came through 7-5, 6-3 and will face world number 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight.
“I’m soaking wet, honestly. It’s a very, very humid day as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit and the air.
“But it is what it is. You have to kind of accept and embrace the conditions and it’s the same for you and your opponents so you have to try to make the best out of it.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion broke Koepfer early but the German world number 70 returned the favor in the next game to get back on serve.
Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion on the clay courts at Roland Garros, took the first set 7-5 when Koepfer went long to concede another break.
As the sun beat down on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic found his groove, surging into a 3-0 lead to take a grip on the second set, sealing the win with a minimum of fuss.
He has yet to drop a set in three rounds of tennis in Paris.
The 37-year-old, searching for his first trophy in 2024, is still wearing strapping on his right knee after undergoing an operation in June.
He was a bronze medallist on his Olympic debut in 2008 but is targeting gold in Paris to complete his staggering collection of trophies.
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He has 16 career ATP titles although the last came in Geneva in 2017.
Wawrinka reached a high of third in the world in 2014, but he has struggled with injuries in past years and is now ranked 157th.
His 582 tour-level wins are fourth most among active players, just behind Gael Monfils, who also plans to retire at the end of next year.
Wawrinka won Olympic gold in doubles alongside Federer at Beijing in 2008 and helped deliver a first Davis Cup triumph for Switzerland in 2014.
He is due to begin his final season in Perth at the United Cup, which starts on January 2.
Djokovic beats heat to reach Olympics quarter-finals
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Djokovic beats heat to reach Olympics quarter-finals
- The Serbian top seed, who crushed Rafael Nadal in the previous round, came through 7-5, 6-3
- “I’m soaking wet, honestly. It’s a very, very humid day as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit and the air,” he said
Three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka to retire in 2026
- “It’s time to write the final chapter of my career as a professional tennis player. 2026 will be my last year on tour,” Wawrinka posted Friday
- His 582 tour-level wins are fourth most among active players
PARIS: Stan Wawrinka says the 2026 season will be his last as the three-time Grand Slam singles champion aims to finish his career “on the best note possible.”
“Every book needs an ending. It’s time to write the final chapter of my career as a professional tennis player. 2026 will be my last year on tour,” Wawrinka posted Friday on social media.
Wawrinka, who turns 41 in March, won the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open a year later and the US Open in 2016, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were dominating men’s tennis.
He has 16 career ATP titles although the last came in Geneva in 2017.
Wawrinka reached a high of third in the world in 2014, but he has struggled with injuries in past years and is now ranked 157th.
His 582 tour-level wins are fourth most among active players, just behind Gael Monfils, who also plans to retire at the end of next year.
Wawrinka won Olympic gold in doubles alongside Federer at Beijing in 2008 and helped deliver a first Davis Cup triumph for Switzerland in 2014.
He is due to begin his final season in Perth at the United Cup, which starts on January 2.
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