Novak Djokovic said he is ready for a "big battle" against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Italian Open final after the world No 1 earned his 1,000th tour-level victory with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Casper Ruud on Saturday.
Djokovic will be playing in the final in Rome for the fourth straight time and 12th overall. It will be a repeat of last year's French Open final, which Djokovic won after fighting back from two sets down.
"Again, another final against him in one of the biggest tournaments we have in the world," Djokovic told reporters. "He's definitely in form. I can expect a big battle, but I'm ready for it."
Djokovic, 34, is only the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000 wins milestone after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafa Nadal.
"I've seen Roger and Rafa celebrate those milestones in the last couple years. I was looking forward to get to that thousand myself," Djokovic said. "It's been a long time, ever since I played my first match, ever since I won my first match on the tour. Hopefully, I can keep going."
Playing under the lights, Djokovic broke Norwegian Ruud's serve twice to earn a commanding 4-0 lead as the top seed made a fast start. Ruud broke Djokovic at 5-3 down and held his serve but the 20-time major winner closed out the set.
In the second set, Ruud saved three break points in the seventh game before Djokovic broke for a 4-3 lead.
Djokovic broke Ruud again as he wrapped up victory in one hour 42 minutes and the Serb will seek a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 title in Sunday's final.
Earlier, world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Rome final for the first time after rallying to defeat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Tsitsipas, who will rise to fourth in the ATP rankings next week, will be bidding for his third Masters 1000 title on Sunday.
In the third claycourt Masters 1000 semi-final between the pair this season, Tsitsipas overcame Zverev as he stayed consistent from the baseline and strong on serve.
"Battle of the serves," Tsitsipas said. "Battle of being able to take that first shot after the serve and really put quite a lot of pressure to it, which I think I was able to do really well in the third set.
"I was able to return a few on the third a bit more than him, get the ball in play, stay in those rallies, not give away much.
"I was really trying to stay there as long as possible and make every single one count."
In the women's tournament, the final will be contested by the WTA Tour's most in-form players as Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and Poland's world No 1 Iga Swiatek put their winning streaks on the line.
Jabeur, who became the first Arab or African woman to win a Masters 1000 title when she clinched the Madrid Open trophy last week, extended her unbeaten record to 11 matches after fighting back from a second set wobble to beat Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
The Tunisian will take on a red-hot Swiatek, who is on a 25-match winning streak which has included titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, and Stuttgart. The Pole cruised into the final with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aryna Sabalenka.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
