But it didn’t work in the long run as Djoko broke for 3-2 in the final set and then again to keep his dream of a third US Open alive. But he started to find his form in a quarterfinal victory over 2009 U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro. In this tournament alone, he has played a staggering 23 sets and 237 games.
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Nishikori looked sharper for the best part of two sets but was pegged back by Wawrinka with a break at the end of the second. He won the Australian Open in January, and the French Open in June _ when the theatrics were at a relative minimum by Friday’s standards. That’s certainly been the case this year at Flushing Meadows. The world’s No. 2 player battled hard but lost to the top-ranked Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3. Two points later, Djkovic converted a break point and took an insurmountable 3-1 lead. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open victor, is 0-14 against Djokovic. Nishikori was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2014. He goes on to face Djokovic on Sunday. I think I’m gutsy to try that against the world No. 1.
Two-time US Open champion Djokovic, chasing a third major of the season and 13th overall, remains wary of the dangers posed by Monfils, whose only other appearance in a Slam semi-final was at the 2008 French Open. “You know, it was a great strategy, I think”.
“The first question is like you’re not competing”, Monfils said. “I’m at my best, actually”. He appeared to be acting like he was not interested, and suddenly whip big shots.
On ESPN, analyst John McEnroe said Monfils’ early performance bordered on being “unprofessional” and called his lack of effort a “black eye for the sport”. “What I got is my speed”.
“We can change a little bit”. This puts him on a record pace for fewest sets and games in an Open era major that featured a 128-man draw and only best-of-five-set matches.
In what was one of the more freakish encounters to unfold on a grand slam court, Monfils was showered with boos one set and cheers the next before exiting Arthur Stadium to a mixture of both.
Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka entered the semifinals as the favorites to reach the final, but they faced stiff tests from Gael Monfils and Kei Nishikori, respectively.
Djokovic came into the semi-finals after a series of retirements from his rivals, meaning that the semi against Monfils would only be his third complete match after 2 round opponent Jiri Vesely, 3 round rival Mikhail Youzhny, and quarter-final rival Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ALL retired with injury or fatigue.
Obviously low on energy, Djokovic also saw several body aches – most key his shoulder, which he has had trouble with this year.
The shirt off his back: Even before Monfils walked off with the third set, Djokovic had torn his stylish white Uniqlo shirt out of frustration.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC ripped open his shirt like the Incredible Hulk after destroying Gael Monfils to reach the final of the US Open. But Monfils held there to 5-1, then transitioned into what either appeared to be an attempt to “tank” in other words, lose on objective, for who knows what reason or the tennis equivalent of a “rope-a-dope”, in which he wanted to appear not to be interested in defending against Djokovic but then would whip a big shot of his own.
They swapped breaks in the next two games before Djokovic struck again at a 4-2 up was within touching distance of victory and this time he didn’t let Monfils back in. Yet Monfils was always behind on the scoreboard and never seemed likely to outlast one of the game’s greatest competitors.
In a weird first set, Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes where his only challenge came from the stadium TV lights which he claimed were distracting.
He is already the world’s No. 1 player with a spectacular skill set now unmatched in all of tennis.
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The U.S. Tennis Association held a news conference during the U.S. Open on Friday to announce its partnership with the team event, which will debut in Prague in September 2017.
