Singular success: Lost in the Monfils histrionics, was another remarkably consistent effort by Djokovic, who reached his 19th Grand Slam singles final of the last 25 played.
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Perhaps McEnroe is not accustomed to the Monfils’ wacky style and in-match antics including ordering a Coca-Cola mid-match and plenty of spell-binding, oftentimes confusing (but nonetheless entertaining) points.
This felt more like a sweaty episode of “Survivor” than the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open. Swiss sensation Stan Wawrinka was happy to oblige.
“He was five-love down with his game and he mixed it up”.
He reached his lone major title match in 2014 at Flushing Meadows, losing to fellow first-time finalist Marin Cilic.
He has a tough task against Wawrinka, a man who upset him past year in the French Open final.
The rope-a-dope actually got Monfils twice within one point of being back on serve – the score 5-3, 15-40.
The Serb, however, would quickly get back into rhythm, clinching the first set and then going on to demolish Mofils in second. He let Nishikori know he knew he was fading by loudly celebrating big shots or service breaks.
Opening the second set with the best exchange of the match, Djokovic flicked a high leaping backhand volley, but failed to put away two more backhand volleys.
Gael Monfils says he was just trying to change up his strategy against Novak Djokovic, and he’s sorry John McEnroe thinks that’s “unprofessional”.
“I know I can last for three, four, five hours, [and] I have to make them suffer”, Wawrinka said, when asked about the gesture.
Having advanced to the semi-final without dropping a set, Monfils did not wait long to surrender his first as he went 5-0 down in just 16 minutes.
“Sometimes you don’t have an answer to these kinds of questions”, Djokovic said. Today, Monfils believed Djokovic was striking so cleanly he had no choice but to try to win ugly. Maybe Monfils got in Djokovic’s head, because miscue after miscue started coming from that side of the court.
In a weird match that was circus-like at times, the No. 1 seed and defending champion beat a sometimes-disinterested Monfils, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in extremely hot and humid conditions in Arthur Ashe Stadium to advance to Sunday’s final, where he will meet the victor between No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and No. 6 Kei Nishikori.
From 0-40 down in the ninth game he produced a blistering run that ended with a forehand victor that Djokovic could not handle and with a roar the Frenchman was back in the match.
The world number one will now face either Stan Wawrinka of Kei Nishikori in Sunday’s final.
Monfils suddenly came to life after he was booed by the crowd, wafting a cross-court forehand victor to break back at 2-2 in the third and Djokovic had treatment on his right shoulder before a brutal backhand from the Frenchman took the match into a fourth set.
Djokovic, 29, had treatment on both shoulders during the first semi-final, while Monfils could barely move at times in punishing conditions.
It looked lightweight but carried a mighty punch as the Frenchman saved four set points in the sixth and seventh games.
An ignominious exit seemed all but secure only for Monfils suddenly to spark into life, as he won six out of the next seven games to take the set.
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Djokovic handed another break of serve straight back with a double fault, but after a second medical timeout – this time for his right shoulder – the two-time champion clinched victory with a victor on match point that flew past an nearly stationary Monfils. “When I try to play “original” tennis is where he killed me”.
