Novak Djokovic breaks racket, overcomes injury & completes feisty comeback on eventful 38th birthday at Geneva Open

Novak Djokovic turned 38 on Thursday, May 22. On the same day, he faced Matteo Arnaldi in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Geneva Open. It turned out to be an eventful match for the Serb, as he smashed his racket at one point and also suffered a minor injury. Eventually, though, the former No. 1 prevailed and exacted revenge on the Italian, who had stunned the Serb earlier this year at the Madrid Open.

Djokovic’s racket smash came early on in the second set, after he had clinched the first 6-4. The moment reflected the 24-time Major champion’s frustrations at having played a sloppy service game to hand Arnaldi a 3-1 lead in the second set. Watch the Serb breaking his racket by expanding the X (formerly Twitter) link below:

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Matteo Arnaldi went on to establish a 4-1 lead by wrong-footing Novak Djokovic. Here, the Serb sustained a knee injury.

However, remarkably, he won the next five games in succession to put the match to bed. The Serb is now set to lock horns with Cameron Norrie in the semifinals of the Geneva Open.

Following his 6-4, 6-4 win over Arnaldi, the ATP No. 6 reflected on his performance, expressing optimism about his form in the buildup to the 2025 French Open.

"I think I'm playing really good tennis" - Novak Djokovic's optimistic assessment of Geneva Open QF win

During his post-match, on-court interview following his Geneva Open quarterfinal victory, Novak Djokovic was asked how happy he was to have progressed to the ATP 250 clay court event's semifinals. In response, the Serb said:

"It's great to be in the semifinals again. Last year, I played semifinals. Hopefully, this year I can go a step further. That's the goal. You know I think I'm playing really, really good tennis. Today was, as I said, a lot of tension on the court, straight-set win but it was much closer than the score indicates."

He added:

"Yeah, I was 4-1 down in the second and somehow, I don't know, after that racket breaking, I didn't lose a game and kind of found my optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to really be able to play the best tennis when it was most needed."

The Serb should feel confident heading into his semifinal showdown against Cameron Norrie in Geneva. The four previous meetings between the pair have all gone the former No. 1's way. Their most recent clash came in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. On that occasion, the 24-time Grand Slam winner registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

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About the author

Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Beyond Tennis, Sudipto also has an interest in music, football, and video games alongside cooking and traveling.

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