Lucas Pouille says Novak Djokovic is the best in the world after Australian Open ...

Lucas Pouille says Novak Djokovic is the best in the world after Australian Open semi-final win

Lucas Pouille says Novak Djokovic is 'the best in the world'

Lucas Pouille has labelled world No 1 Novak Djokovic "the best in the world" following his 83-minute Australian Open demolition job on Friday.

Djokovic crushed Pouille for the loss of only four games to set up a blockbuster meeting with Rafael Nadal for the 53rd time in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

Of his 24 Grand Slam semi-final victories, only the one over an injured Marin Cilic at the US Open in 2015 was more comprehensive than this 6-0 6-2 6-2 demolition against the 28th seed.

As it happened
Djokovic extended his remarkable record against French players to 28 straight victories, hitting 24 winners and only five unforced errors in a masterful performance.

Djokovic has won all six of his previous Australian Open finals
Djokovic has won all six of his previous Australian Open finals
"I was trying to find a solution, but couldn't find any," said a shattered Pouille after witnessing a near-perfect display from the 14-time Grand Slam winner. "I think (his) first mistake came after maybe one set, I don't know. I think he just played amazing. He was too good today.

"I didn't have time to put a strategy in the match. 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."


Djokovic produced a superb performance to beat Pouille in three sets
"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."

We have the tennis season covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @skysportsTennis to join in the conversation.