Djokovic Stays Perfect Against Cilic
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic moved to a perfect 12-0 record over Marin Cilic on Friday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters as he reached the semi-finals with a 6-0, 6-3 victory.
“The first set went completely my way,” said Djokovic. “I knew he was going to start to change some things in his game so he can start to play a little bit better. But I made a crucial break in the beginning of the second, as well. So the first eight games were really fantastic. I tried to keep it up.
“All in all, it was probably the best match I’ve played so far in the tournament. That’s what I want, what I wish for in this moment. Of course, it encourages me before tomorrow’s big challenge.”
The Serb will face eight-time champion Rafael Nadal for the 43rd time on Saturday as he bids to reach the final at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the fourth time. He finished runner-up in 2009 and 2012 before lifting the trophy in 2013 with victory over Nadal.
The 27-year-old Djokovic is currently on a 15-match winning streak after becoming the first player to complete a third Indian Wells-Miami sweep during the March Masters.
The Belgrade native, who also won his eighth Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open (d. Murray), has lost just two matches this season (28-2 mark) and is looking to become the first player to win the first three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles of the year.
“Obviously the amount of matches that I won this year has helped boost my confidence level, helped me to feel good at this tournament and kind of continue on with good performances,” said Djokovic. “Physically obviously it’s very demanding because I have played a lot of matches. But momentum is on my side, and I try to use it as much as I can.”
The eighth-seeded Cilic was playing just his second tournament of the season after recovering from a right shoulder injury. The Croat had upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals here for the first time in eight appearances.