Days after declaring he would have retired from the Australian Open if not for it being a Grand Slam tournament, Novak Djokovic says he's "thrilled" with the way he's feeling after having played through injury this month.
Djokovic tonight reached the Australian Open final for the ninth time in his career by beating No.114-ranked Aslan Karatsev, 6-3 6-4 6-2.
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The top-ranked Djokovic is 8-0 in his previous trips to the final at Melbourne Park. He is now also unbeaten in all nine semi-finals he has contested in Australia.
However, this year's tournament has been a rather difficult one for the Serbian star who has been battling through a mystery abdominal injury.
After his fourth-round win over Milos Raonic earlier this week, the world No.1 admitted he would've withdrawn from the tournament if it was anything but a Grand Slam.
"If it's any other tournament than a Grand Slam, I would retire and withdraw from the event, that's for sure," he said at the time.
Speaking after his dominant win over Karatsev, Djokovic revealed he felt "no pain" and showed no issues tonight swinging through the ball.
"This is the best I've felt this entire tournament," he told Nine.
"I felt great. I could swing through the ball, no pain. Best match so far and it came at the right time. I'm thrilled to feel this way.
"I have two days now [until the final], I will see and talk to the team [regarding practice].
"I will definitely train one of the next two days, likely the one on Saturday, closer to the final.
"Recovery is the priority right now. I'm feeling the ball well and I'm playing well. I have enough match play and enough practice.
"Right now, it's gathering all the necessary energy for the most important match."
Djokovic in the Australian Open final will player either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who clash tomorrow night.
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