Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a return to Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, during their semi final match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament, in Monaco, Saturday, April 21, 2012. AP/Claude Paris
MONACO — Novak Djokovic reached the Monte Carlo Masters final for the second time in his career on Saturday, rallying from a set down to beat sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in windy conditions that disrupted both players on serve.
Two days after the death of his grandfather, the top-ranked Djokovic pointed to the sky for several moments after his hard-fought win. He will play either seven-time defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain or Frenchman Gilles Simon in Sunday’s final.
Djokovic lost to Nadal in the 2009 final. He looked set to fall one round earlier this year as Berdych punished the Serb in the first set with some powerful forehands.
But Djokovic closed out the match on his serve and clenched both fists before shouting “Come on!”