Novak Djokovic secured a win on his thirty seventh birthday as he beat Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in a rain-interrupted match to maneuver into the quarter-finals of the Geneva Open.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, is taking part in within the ATP 250 match in Switzerland for the primary time as preparation for the French Open and recorded a 6-3 6-3 victory.
It made him solely the third participant – after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer – to win 1,100 matches on the ATP Tour.
On the finish of the match, the group sang ‘blissful birthday’ to Djokovic and he was additionally introduced with a chocolate birthday cake by match officers.
“My birthday would not have been the identical if I had not gained the match,” mentioned Djokovic.
“I am very grateful for all of the folks that got here out to help me and thanks for the birthday track, that was very particular for me.”
The world primary is but to succeed in a closing in 2024 and can subsequent face both Canada’s Denis Shapovalov or Dutch sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor.
Within the opening spherical, Hanfmann won 7-5 6-2 against Britain’s Andy Murray, who had been taking part in his first ATP Tour-level match since rupturing ankle ligaments on the Miami Open in March.
However the 32-year-old German, eighty fifth on this planet, had his serve damaged by Djokovic within the sixth sport after which didn’t convert two break-point alternatives quickly after.
With Djokovic serving for the set at 5-3, Hanfmann missed 4 break factors, earlier than the match was paused at deuce within the ninth sport – which was the beginning of a rain delay of greater than an hour.
When play resumed, Djokovic rapidly sealed the set, though Hanfmann then broke his serve in the beginning of the second on his strategy to a 3-0 lead.
He had an opportunity to maneuver a double break forward, however couldn’t take it, with Djokovic getting the match again on serve within the subsequent sport, aided by a superb sliced drop shot that Hanfmann was unable to assemble.
Djokovic, helped by two wonderful cross-court winners within the ninth sport, gained six video games in a row to seal the victory.
Earlier this month, he had misplaced 6-2 6-3 in simply 67 minutes to Alejandro Tabilo within the third spherical of the Italian Open, though the Serb mentioned he had been hampered by the after-effects of unintentionally being hit on the top by a water bottle two days earlier.
The French Open begins on Sunday, with Djokovic trying to retain his title and win the competitors for a fourth time.