Melbourne: Novak Djokovic said he was “in the zone” and played a “perfect match” Friday to line up a blockbuster Australian Open final against his great rival Rafael Nadal.
“Today was a perfect match for me from the first to the last point,” said the Serbian after destroying 28th seed Lucas Pouille 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in just 83 minutes On Rod Laver Arena.
“I executed everything that I intended to and even more than I have expected,” said the world number one after a flawless display put him into a first Oz Open final since 2016.
“It is definitely one of the best matches I’ve ever had on this court, definitely,” added Djokovic, who hit 24 winners and had just five unforced errors.
“Every professional athlete wants to be in the zone, where everything flows so effortlessly and you are executing automatically everything you are intending to execute,” Djokovic said, explaining a sublime performance.
Pouille was left powerless on the other side of the net. “I was trying to find a solution, but couldn’t find any,” lamented the Frenchman.
Djokovic will face second seed Nadal, who he described as his “biggest rival,” in a 53rd career meeting and eighth in the final of a Slam.
The Serb ran Pouille ragged so effectively that he dished out a dreaded 6-0 “bagel” in a first set that lasted just 21 minutes.
Pouille held his first service game of the second set to a huge ovation from the centre court fans, but it was an all-too brief respite.
Djokovic lost in the fourth round last year, followed by elbow surgery and poor form until he won Wimbledon and turned his season around.
“It was highly unlikely 12 months ago that I would be where I am today, a year later. But I’ve said it before, and I always have plenty of belief in myself, and I think the self-belief is something that always prevails,” said the Serbian top seed.