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BSP-12
TENNIS-OPEN-AUS-POUILLE
Pouille powerless to ‘find any solution’ to dominant Djokovic
MELBOURNE, Jan 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Lucas Pouille admitted that world
number one Novak Djokovic played so well in their Australian Open semi-final
Friday that he was powerless to resist.
Top seed Djokovic destroyed the Frenchman, seeded 28, in just 83 minutes
6-0, 6-2, 6-2 to sprint into a final against Rafael Nadal.
“I was trying to find a solution, but couldn’t find any,” said a shattered
Pouille after witnessing a near-perfect display from the Serbian 14-time
Grand Slam winner.
“I think (his) first mistake came after maybe one set, I don’t know,” he
said of Djokovic who made only five unforced errors in the entire match and
hit 24 winners.
“I think he just played amazing. He was too good today.”
Pouille is coached by 2006 women’s Australian Open champion Amelie
Mauresmo.
The Frenchman conceded that Djokovic was out of the blocks so fast that he
never had a chance to put any of their carefully hatched plans into action.
“I didn’t have time to put a strategy in the match,” the world number 31
lamented.
“The strategy was to be aggressive, try to be the one who’s leading the
point.
“But when he’s playing that far from the baseline, 10 centimetres from the
baseline all the time, it’s tough to do it.”
Pouille said that Djokovic, who has won all six of his previous Australian
Open finals, would be hard to stop from claiming a record seventh on Sunday.
He believes even Nadal, who has not dropped a set so far and similarly
romped past Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday, may have a tough time against the
rampant Serb on this form.
“I think when he’s playing like this, yeah, he’s the best in the world for
sure.
“We’ll see on Sunday how he goes, because Rafa looks pretty amazing, too.”
BSS/AFP/RY/17:36 hrs