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World setter Novak Djokovic is a victory from a historic 21st grand slam title. Last night, the Serb defeated the German Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo, Alexander Zverev, in a nail-biter in five sets. Now world number two Daniil Medvedev is waiting in the final. – I will play as if it is the last match of my career, says Djokovic.
Six matches completed in the US Open – only one remains. Novak Djokovic is getting closer to writing tennis history. 21 grand slam titles, four of which in the same calendar year, loom.
– I will go in and play with my whole heart, my soul, my body and my head. I will play the next match as if it were the last in my career, the 34-year-old world setter announces.
If he wins Sunday’s US Open final, he will be the men’s player with the most grand slam victories of all time. Today he shares first place with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic then also takes a so-called “real grand slam”, ie wins all four grand slam tournaments in the same year. A feat that no one on the men’s side has managed to do since Rod Laver in 1969.
– I know that people want me to talk about it, but there is not much to say, says Djokovic about his victory hunt for the semifinal win.
– There is only one match left – give everything, he concludes.
Revenge from the Olympics
The night’s semifinal was anything but straightforward for the world setter. Just like in the last four rounds, he lost the first set, this time 4-6, before striking back in the next two sets with the numbers 6-2, 6-4.
The legendary champion Rod Laver himself sat on the grandstand at Arthur Ashe Stadium and saw a dazzling game from both players. In the third set, a battle of 53 battles was fought, to the loud delight of the audience.
After the match, Djokovic thanked the spectators
– I want to thank you for the fantastic atmosphere. It was the best atmosphere so far in the tournament. Unbelievable, Djokovic said on the center court.
It was 24-year-old Alexander Zverev, a finalist in last year’s US Open, who knocked out Djokovic in the Olympic semifinals in Tokyo a month and a half ago – and with the knife to his throat in New York, the German stood up and managed to pinch the fourth semifinal set with 6–4.
But there was no repetition of the victory in the Olympics this time for the world four. After just over 3.5 hours of play, Djokovic was finally able to equalize the revenge by winning the fifth and decisive set 6-2.
Twelve serveess
Earlier in the evening, world runner-up Daniil Medvedev got a walking victory in his semifinal. The 25-year-old Russian defeated the 15-ranked Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in three straight sets in New York with the numbers being 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.
The 21-year-old Auger-Aliassime had a hard time responding to Medvedev’s murderous serve and the Russian hit twelve serveess. Despite that, he was not really happy.
– I do not think I did my best today, but I am happy to play the final on Sunday, was Medvedev’s comment after the match.
During the tournament, he has only lost a single set on his way to the final. The Russian world number two played the US Open final two years ago, but then lost to Rafael Nadal. In this year’s Australian Open, Medvedev lost the final to Novak Djokovic.
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