WHAT HAPPENED: Alexander Zverev said he’d have to play the perfect match to end Novak Djokovic’s quest for the Grand Slam in Friday’s second men’s semifinal at Flushing Meadows for the 2021 US Open. The 24-year-old was perfect in spurts and inspired in others, but ultimately not good enough to stop Djokovic and his quest for tennis immortality in New York this weekend.
No. 4 seed Zverev took the opening set and also wrestled the fourth from Djokovic, but the world No. 1 responded with inspired tennis to sweep through the final set to notch a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph that places him on the precipice of history. With his triumph, Djokovic sets a final with No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev as he moves to within one victory of becoming the first male tennis player to win the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
“I know that people would like to hear me talk about it but there is not much to talk about,” Djokovic said of his quest. “There is only one match leftăźall in. I’m going to put my heart and my soul and my body and my head into that one. I’m going to treat the next match like it is the last match of my career.”
If Djokovic needed a reminder of the immense gravity of the moment, he only had to peer at the President’s Suite behind the baseline on the south end of Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the legendary Laver himself sat enjoying the battle. Laver, who won 11 major titles in his day, including two at the US Open, settled in for a back-and-forth tussle that featured an incredible 53-stroke rally in the third set and was concluded in three hours and 34 minutes.
By knocking out Zverev in five sets, Djokovic has toppled the man who snuffed out his Golden Slam hopes at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Zverev rallied from a set and a break down to defeat Djokovic and earn the biggest title of his career. On Friday, Djokovic restored order at the top of the men’s game, and remained unbeaten against one of his biggest threats at the Grand Slams.
Zverev didn’t go down without a fight. The German made 72% of his first serves in sets one and four, and won 33 of 38 first serve points in those sets to put the outcome in doubt.
But Djokovic, who improves to 4-0 in five-setters at the Slams this year, was defiant when it mattered most. Faced with a one set to love deficit for the tenth time at a Grand Slam this season, the 20-time major champion played elevated tennis in the next two sets to take a two sets to one lead.
When a surging, bomb-serving Zverev forced him to a decider, Djokovic quickly turned the match on its ear in the fifth set, completing a stunning drop-and-forehand pass combo to break Zverev for 2-0 as the crowd rose to their feet in appreciation. Two games later, Zverev helped Djokovic’s cause when he badly shanked a smash to give the 34-year-old the double break 4-0 lead.
It was more than enough for Djokovic, who coasted to the finish line despite a last-ditch break by Zverev to improve his lifetime record in five-set matches to a jaw-dropping 36-10.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” Djokovic told the crowd. “The best atmosphere of the tournament so far. These are the moments we live for and these are the unique opportunities that we dream of every day when we wake up and try to find the motivation to go out there. It pays off when you are playing in this beautiful stadium with this atmosphere.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Djokovic’s mission won’t get any easier. With his seventh career victory over Zverev, Djokovic sets up a battle with red-hot Medvedev, the Russian who played the US Open final in 2019 and who has won 17 of his last 19 matches at Flushing Meadows.
Medvedev, who swept past Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, in Friday’s first semifinal, trails his lifetime head-to-head with Djokovic 5-3, and he has never defeated Djokovic at a Grand Slam. Most recently, the 25-year-old suffered a lopsided defeat against Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open final, but the Russian told reporters on Friday that he is hungrier this time around.
“I always give my best, but I feel like I didn't leave my heart on the court in Melbourne,” Medvedev said. “Even if, of course I wanted to, there was something not turning up in this match. That's what I'm going to try to do on Arthur Ashe with hopefully 100 percent of fans. No matter the score, I'm just going to turn up the heat, if I can say, and try to do my best, even more than what I did in Melbourne.”
MATCH POINT: Djokovic has dropped the first set ten times in his 27 Grand Slam matches in 2021, but he has rebounded to win each one. The Serb entered the season with a 31-36 record at the majors after dropping the opening set.
Djokovic will contest his 31st major final on Sunday, which ties Roger Federer for the all-time record, and his 9th at the US Open, which breaks a tie with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl for the Open era record.
