"Last 7-8 years has been quite tough, but here we are" - Novak Djokovic delighted to reach first SF at Monte-Carlo since 2015

Novak Djokovic was far from his best during his quarterfinal match against Alex de Minaur in Monte-Carlo on Friday (April 12), but he still prevailed 7-5, 6-4 over the 11th seed to reach the last four in the Principality for the first time in the last nine years.

The Serb and the Aussie's last-eight affair started with both players holding serve up to 6-5. The 25-year-old was the first player to blink as he was broken for the first time in the match, surrendering the first set 7-5 in over an hour.

The second set was far more topsy-turvy as Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur exchanged three breaks to get to 4-4. The World No. 1 maintained his focus to convert his next service game, before breaking his younger opponent again to take the match in straight sets.

During his on-court interview, the 36-year-old expressed happiness at making the semifinals at the Monaco-based tournament. He further alluded to how the Monte-Carlo Country Club has been his training base for more than a decade.

Towards the end, Djokovic admitted that he had undergone a rough patch at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament since winning his second title in 2015. That said, he expressed his satisfaction at reaching the latter stages in Monte-Carlo again.

"I'm very happy to be back in the semis, as you say it's been a while. And I love this tournament, I know this club very well, been training for so many years here," Novak Djokovic said. "Last 7-8 years has been quite tough, I must say, for me to win two or three matches consecutively. But here we are, another semis and I look forward to it."

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Novak Djokovic: "I have arguably had the better part of my career post-30 than before 30"

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters

Earlier on Thursday, Novak Djokovic claimed following his third-round win in the Principality over Lorenzo Musetti that he had always focused on having a long career, which would, in turn, give him more plausible chances of winning titles and breaking records.

"I always kind of strategically had a long-term plan in my head to, you know, play as long as possible so I can give my career a better chance to win more, you know, titles and break records and the things that I have been doing actually the last four, five years," the Serb said during his press conference in Monte-Carlo on Thursday.

He added that his post-prime career had been so successful due to his dedication to nutrition and health.

"You know, I have arguably had the better part of my career post-30 than before 30," he added. "So yeah, that's definitely due to and thanks to the care and the amount of time that I put in the wellness."

Following his win over Alex de Minaur, Djokovic will next take on eighth seed Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The winner of the match will face either second seed Jannik Sinner or 12th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Masters 1000 tournament.