NOVAK Djokovic moved to just one win away from making Grand Slam history, booking his spot in the 2021 US Open final. The Serbian world number one will aim for an unprecedented 21st Grand Slam title against second seed Russian Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic’s quest for a calendar Grand Slam – winning all four majors in a calendar year – also remained alive in the process, overcoming fourth seed German Alexander Zverev in five sets.

Djokovic has looked far from his clinical self in his run to the final, dropping sets against much lower-ranked opponents, but it was clear the Serbian knew he could not take any chances against the big-serving German. The pair produced some big points early, and whilst the world number one looked on top, Zverev took the first set 6-4. Djokovic stepped up as he always does in big games to claim the next two sets, with Zverev finding a way to swing the momentum with a crucial break in the fourth. The deciding set was one-sided however as the world number one raced away to a 5-0 lead before closing out the match, 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2.

“I would like to say thank you, because the atmosphere was amazing, the best atmosphere of the tournament so far,” Djokovic said post-match. “These are the moments we live for. These are the kind of unique opportunities that we dream of every day when we wake up and are trying to find motivation to go out there and do the same things over and over again.

“It pays off when you are playing in this incredible stadium with this atmosphere. Thank you so much for making it special.”

Djokovic only served four less aces (12-16) but six less double faults (2-8), as he won 77 per cent of his first serve points off a 66 per cent clip. Zverev was no far behind with 75 off 63 per cent, and he won 50 to 43 per cent off his second serve. He was not as clinical at the net however (61 to 81 per cent), preferring to rally at the baseline, where Djokovic could take advantage. The German hit eight more winners (49-41) and only hit one extra unforced error in the loss (50-49) in a strong effort, but it was not enough to win.

“Alexander is a big champion. He’s someone that I admire on and off the court. We get along very well, he’s definitely one of my best friends. We train a lot, we see each other a lot in Monaco, [which] he uses as a base,” Djokovic said. “He’s a great guy and an even better player. I knew coming onto the court today that it was going to be a great battle.”

Meanwhile, Medvedev’s dominant US Open rolled on with a comprehensive straight sets victory over 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The young Canadian was in his first Grand Slam semi-final, but did not have it easy, going up against the experienced Russian who has played off in a Flushing Meadows decider previously. He won 6-4 7-5 6-2, running out the match strongly in just over two hours to secure his place in the final. Perhaps the only player coming into the tournament capable of knocking off Djokovic, Medvedev was impressive against the 21-year-old, though admitted he had played better in previous matches.

“I don’t think I played my best today,” Medvedev said post-match. “But I am happy to be in the final on Sunday. “In the second set, I think everyone felt it was going to be one-set-all, and you never know where the match is going to go. I managed to save the set points […] and the match turned around completely.”

Medvedev was far more consistent on serve, producing 12 aces to four, and only serving four double faults to 10. He won 81 and 52 per cent of his first and second serve points, off a 69 per cent clip, whilst Auger-Aliassime won just 65 and 35 per cent respectively. He also capitalised on his break point opportunities, securing breaks on all five chances, whilst the Canadian only broke once from three opportunities. Medvedev won 46 per cent of his receiving points to Auger-Aliassime’s 28 per cent, which was the key difference in the end.

Medvedev said he hoped to turn around the 2019 US Open final result, where he went down to Djokovic, one of five losses to the Serbian. He has beaten the world number on three times however, with the Russian’s unorthodox style troubling Djokovic at times.

“If it is going to be the same match on Sunday [as the 2019 US Open final], I just hope I can win this time,” Medvedev said. “First of all, I am going to enjoy the next semi-final because it is going to be a great match.”

The pair lock horns on Sunday to determine the US Open winner, be it for Djokovic’s record 21st Grand Slam, or Medvedev’s maiden major.

US OPEN SEMI-FINALS RESULTS:

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) defeated [4] Alexander Zverev (GER) 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2
[2] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) defeated [12] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 6-4 7-5 6-2

Picture credit: Garrett Ellwood/USTA