Novak Djokovic in pursuit of win number 1000 against Ruud tonight

Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud will play the 2nd semifinal in Rome later today and for the Serbian, it will be a chance to score win number 1000.

Djokovic progressed to the semi-finals of the Italian Open with a straight-sets victory over Felix Auger Aliassime in Rome on Friday, with a performance that suggested he is getting back to his best. Djokovic will face Casper Ruud for a place in the final after the Norwegian overcame Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7) 7-5 earlier on Friday.

The win against Auger Aliassime took his career total to 999 wins, with victory against Ruud on Saturday set to take him over the magical 1000 mark. This latest victory also ensured Djokovic would retain the world No 1 ranking heading into the French Open, with his nearest rival Daniil Medvedev set to return from injury next week.

Other players who have reaches 1000 career wins include:

Jimmy Connors (1,274-283)

Roger Federer (1,242-271)

Ivan Lendl (1,068-242)

Rafael Nadal (1051–212)

Don't forget to tune in to that match and if you do check back here for the report.