He had a set point at 5-3, failed to take and had another meltdown, going 0-40 down on his own serve before clawing it back to take as insane a set of tennis as he’s ever played.
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Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka carved out a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori on Friday to set up a US Open title clash with world number one Novak Djokovic. “So I went through it all”. It was a great theatre experience today.
Wawrinka won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open.
The defending champion will face Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final where he will bid to win a third major of 2016 and 13th of his career.
Djokovic, who’d seen Jiri Vaseley withdraw before playing him and Mikhail Youzhny and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retire during matches thought he was home and hosed when he broke to go 2-0 up and two sets up.
Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead and earned a set point after all of 19 minutes, but Monfils held there.
And he was the stable one on court.
Monfils had a chance to keep his momentum going into the fourth set with a break point in the opening game but another couple of lazy shots handed the hold of serve to Djokovic.
Many witnesses to the match had trouble understanding – or perhaps it was sympathizing – with the way Monfils chose to play. “But when the guy is too good, you change”.
So Djokovic, the 29-year-old, 12-time major-tournament champion from Serbia, is back in the Open title match for a seventh time and reached his seventh Grand Slam final in the past eight events.
“I’m competing, you know”.
“[Expletive] yes, I’m competing”. I think I try my best every time.
“I’m just embracing the fact the guy is too good for me and I tried to switch strategy”. I just have to change.
“I like John. I think he’s a great person”.
“The 6’4” Frenchman’s astounding athleticism can make him a magical player, but his tendency to push and run rather than assert his gifts offensively can make him a maddening player as well.
Monfils was trying everything in a bid to topple Djokovic.
But Djokovic broke again for a 4-2 lead and then closed out the match by breaking Monfils with a forehand victor. He served 11 aces and 11 double faults.
Given Monfils’ lack of energy on court, this could well have been the fourth time that happened. The free-spirited Frenchman saved a set point with a 120 miles per hour ace, eventually getting on the board with a three-ace hold.
Monfils, ever a showman in tennis, at times sent lofted and off-pace balls back to Djokovic.
Ultimately, Djokovic prevailed in four sets.
In what was one of the more freaky 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. And after frittering away her first four break points, she converted her fifth with a lob-volley victor that curled over Kerber and alit right by the baseline.
McEnroe had called the Monfils-Djokovic match “bizarre” on Friday, the four-set affair oftentimes having a unusual and lackluster feel. “To change is guts, I show you that I play non-academic way”.
Nevertheless, Monfils lost 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I did rip it once, and then the second time just got out of hand in heat of the moment”, Djokovic said. The Frenchman gifted Djokovic an early break with a double fault and the world number one started cruising through games without really having to do much.
“It’s part of the sport”.
Monfils, however, had the following message for McEnroe: “I’m sorry if you think I’m unprofessional, but I guess I’m working, I’m learning”.
“I had different phases, I must admit”, he said. Within 20 minutes he was 5-0 up, carving methodically into his opponent’s self-belief.
“At the end, if I had a mic, I would say to the audience to stop saying that I’m unprofessional”. That only appeared to sting him into action though, as he rebounded to play his best tennis of the match to take the third.
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So Monfils transformed back into his entertaining, athletic self. I know what to expect.
