Djokovic to star in ‘Novak’

The third-seeded Wawrinka faces No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday in a rematch of the 2015 French Open final.

When Djokovic completed his career Grand Slam at the French Open in June, it also gave him four major trophies in a row, something last accomplished almost 50 years ago.

It looked lightweight but carried a mighty punch as the Frenchman saved four set points in the sixth and seventh games. But he started to find his form in a quarterfinal victory over 2009 U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro.

In addition to that epic five-setter he’s played three four-setters. No. 10 Karolina Pliskova; Men’s Doubles Final: No. 4 Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares vs. Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Nishikori was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2014.

Wawrinka powered through hismatch against Nishikori after dropping the first set.

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Nishikori took the first set 6-4, then went up an early break in the second.

Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead and earned a set point after all of 19 minutes, but Monfils held there. But after rain forced the roof to shut midway through the third set Friday, it was Wawrinka who would go on to break in the final game – just as he did in the second set.

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”.

“He dictated play early tonight, put pressure on me and gave me no time”, said the Swiss.

“I’m very sad to learn that such a legend criticize me”, Monfils said, “because at the end what I can say to John is, ‘You know, John, I want to be the best”.

“Specifically, before this Grand Slam, there were things that were happening with my health and my physical state that were, you know, making me a little bit skeptical about how the thing was going to go during the tournament”, he said.

“He was playing really good from the beginning, he was dictating”, Wawrinka said.

Gael Monfils insisted his freakish “rope-a-dope” tactics in his US Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic were deliberate as the eccentric Frenchman blasted accusations of not trying. He appeared to be acting like he was not interested, and suddenly whip big shots.

“I’ve seen strategy changes”, ESPN analyst John McEnroe said on the broadcast, “but this tops everything”. Maybe Monfils got in Djokovic’s head, because miscue after miscue started coming from that side of the court. I just have to change. In addition, they had physical issues (Djokovic asked for treatment on his left shoulder while Gael looked spent and exhausted in the closing stages of the match) and it was one unusual encounter all in all, but with expected victor in the end.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern with Nishikori recovering after Wawrinka had surged ahead, but the world number seven could not consolidate after breaking to get back to 3-2.

In a weird and disjointed match played in brutal heat and humidity, Djokovic deconstructed the flat Frenchman, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, to advance to his sixth US Open final in the last seven years. The third set started in the same fashion, Novak made a break in game 2 for a 6-3 6-2 2-0 lead, and it seemed that crowd had enough at that moment, starting to booing Monfils, who somehow used that as an “energy injection”, starting to play much better in the rest of the set, both in defense and offensive.

Djokovic endured problems of his own during the match as the Serb again had to take treatment in the latter stages, this time on both of his shoulders.

Djokovic ripped his white shirt off as he dropped the third set. Djokovic, a two-time U.S. Open champion, will defend his title Sunday against No. 3 Stan Wawrinka.

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.

Monfils saved three break points in the ninth game before clinching the set, celebrating his lifeline with a mighty roar.