In 2015, Wawrinka halted Djokovic’s bid for a career Grand Slam with a stunning four-set victory in the French Open final at Roland Garros and he is confident he can repeat that success.
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Although Djokovic saved one set point, and gave himself three break chances in the ninth game, Monfils was able to extend the match, marking the moment with a mighty roar to which Djokovic responded by ripping off his shirt.
This matchup will be Djokovic’s seventh U.S. Open final, and Wawrinka’s first.
Nishikori, whose 2014 NY campaign made him the first player from an Asian country to reach a grand slam final, where he fell to Marin Cilic, lost serve three times in the final set to end the three hour, seven-minute match.
Humid: Djokovic survived the Monfils scare to make the final.
“The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game”, said Wawrinka, who also won the Australian Open in 2014 and defeated Djokovic along the way in the quarter-finals.
Now, a little more than five months past his 31st birthday, he can become the oldest U.S. Open champion since Ken Rosewall was 35 in 1970.
Serbian Djokovic, the defending champion, outlasted Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 as his opponent resorted to unusual tactics to try and unsettle the world number one.
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.
And Wawrinka’s late-career success is his reward for years of perseverance. “He loves to play on the big stage, against big players, because that’s when he elevates his level of performance”, said 29-year-old Djokovic.
“Thankfully it’s behind me, so I don’t have any concerns”, said Djokovic, who has defeated Wawrinka twice in NY, in the round of 16 in 2012 and from two sets to one down in the 2013 semi-finals. I know it is not natural because first question is you’re not competing.
“He also started to get exhausted a little bit and that’s when I started to get my game, to be aggressive. I think he felt like he needs to step it up and start to play better, which he did”.
Djokovic took the first two sets 6-3, 6-2, and went up 2-0 in the third, with Monfils appearing barely interested at times.
The mercurial Frenchman, however, stormed back to win six of the next seven games by adopting a much more aggressive approach, striking 14 winners to Djokovic’s five to take the third set in 41 minutes.
After giving back an early break in the fourth Djokovic had treatment on his right shoulder, but he broke twice more to close out the win. Roger (Federer), Novak, Rafa (Nada) they are fantastic champions.
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The Japanese player made one final stand to tie the third set at 4-4, but the match slipped away from him when he dropped serve in the 10th game to fall behind two sets to one. “I think the crowd enjoyed it in the end”. “Now I know him a little bit better”, Siegemund said during the trophy ceremony. Neither had played in a Grand Slam final before.
