Ernests Gulbis recalls a time when he was 15-years-old talking to a teenage Novak Djokovic at the Niki Pilic Academy in Munich and hearing the Serb preach about focus and discipline rather than chasing girls and going out.
Gulbis never listened to his friend’s advice then, which is probably why it took the Latvian seven more years than Djokovic to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
But they are both back on common ground here in Paris where they will face off in the semi-finals on Friday.
For Djokovic, it will be his sixth last-four appearance at Roland Garros (22nd in all majors), while for Gulbis, it will be a novel experience.
Djokovic stormed into the semifinals with a 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-4 over world No9 Milos Raonic, raising his level when he needed to against the huge-serving Canadian.
The second-seeded Serb knew what to expect going into his match with Raonic, having been stretched to three sets by him in Rome recently.
And even though Raonic showed some fight in the final set, coming back from 1-5 down to make it 4-5, Djokovic was clinical in the crucial moments and looked like a man on a mission as he sealed the two-hour 21-minute clash.
That mission is completing the career Grand Slam, with the French Open being the only major missing from his collection of six. As he approaches the final stages of the tournament, Djokovic says it’s vital not to think about his ultimate goal – capturing the elusive Coupe des Mousquetaires.
“I try to focus the intention only on the next match, so I don’t think about the final. I think about only Gulbis. He’s been playing really well and he’s confident,” said Djokovic, who was playing his 20thconsecutive major quarter-final.
“But again, I like my chances because I have had a couple of great weeks on the clay courts from Rome to the last 10 days here in Roland Garros.
“Two days off will definitely serve well now to recover, to work on some things on the practice courts, and then come back strong and prepare for the next challenge.”
Speaking of Gulbis during their years in Munich, Djokovic remembers a highly-talented teenager.
“We didn’t share the room but were just in the room next to each other. So we spent a lot of time practising and also a lot of hours playing cards, watching TV, so we were good friends,” said Djokovic.
“He was always somebody that was very enthusiastic about everything in life and you could see he wanted to enjoy it with open arms, if I can say that in a politically correct fashion.
“He was always very talented. He always had this confidence about him. You could say that even though he was 14, 15 at the time that he’s going to become something big.”
And Gulbis is perhaps just finally fulfilling Djokovic’s prediction as he crushed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in less than two hours to make the semi-finals.
It may have taken the 25-year-old longer than expected but come Monday, he will be in the top-10 for the first time unless Gael Monfils wins the tournament.
With so many things falling into place for him, Gulbis feels it hasn’t yet sunk in and he’s trying his best to delay the excitement until his tournament is over.
“I don’t understand it yet. Even now I don’t want to be too happy. I don’t want to get too much stuff in my head,” said Gulbis. “I take it day by day. Just cruising along, just performing well on court. I’m not really overexcited. I think that’s an important key, to keep your mind calm.”
