Djokovic beats heat to reach Olympics quarter-finals

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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 favour 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.