Novak Djokovic’s quest for a rare quartet of major titles within the same season is gaining momentum after he rallied back from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
The world No.1 managed to increased his level of play as the match progressed to see off his Italian opponent 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. In the last three sets of the match, Djokovic dropped just eight points behind his first serve and faced only one break point, which he saved. Overall, he produced a total of 44 winners against 28 unforced errors, as well as 12 aces.
“(The) best three sets I’ve played second, third and fourth – in the tournament so far,” Djokovic said afterwards.
“When I dropped the first set, I just went to a different level and I stayed there till the last point. That’s something that definitely encourages me and gives me a lot of confidence prior to semifinals.’
“(It) was a great battle. Always is with Matteo. He’s a very powerful player. He’s got one of the best 1-2 punch in the game. Forehand from any position really. Serve, one of the biggest serves we have in tennis.”
Djokovic’s latest victory is his 80th at the US Open which is the joint-third highest in history for a male player along with Andre Agassi. He is now 12-0 in quarter-finals matches played in the tournament and his run of consecutive wins in a Grand Slam tournament has been extended to 26 matches.
The latest victory moves Djokovic to just two wins away from achieving the elusive calendar Grand Slam. Something that hasn’t been achieved in singles competition since Steffi Graf back in 1988. The last man to do so was Rod Laver back in 1969.
“I know what my strengths are. I stick to them. I’ve worked over the years to perfect my game so that my game can have literally no flaws,” Djokovic explains.
“Every player has some weaknesses in his game. There’s always something you can improve. I want to have as complete of an all-around game as I possibly can so that when I’m playing someone I can adjust on any surface, I can come up with different styles of play, I can tactically implement the game that I need for that particular match in order to win.”
Awaiting the Serbian in the semi-finals will be Alexander Zverev who was the player that ended his gold medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics earlier in the summer. Zverev is currently on a career-best 16-match winning streak and has only dropped one set so far in the tournament.
Looking ahead to the Friday showdown, Djokovic says he is expecting a hard-fought encounter but believes he maintains the upper hand when it comes to playing best-of-five matches.
“I like to play best-of-five, especially against the younger guys. I think the experience of being on the big stage so many times does help,” he said.
“Physically I feel as fit as anybody out there. So I can go the distance. Actually I like to go the distance. The longer the match goes, I feel like I don’t have any issues. I think I have a better chance than any other opponent.’
“Of course, I want to start off well and win in straight sets. Don’t get me wrong. But sometimes it happens that you go through ups and downs during the match, particularly when you play against the best players in the world in the latter stages of Grand Slams.’
“I’m going to be ready to go five sets, five hours, whatever it takes. That’s why I’m here.”
Djokovic leads Zverev 6-3 in their head-to-head.
