Novak Djokovic will face the 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the US Open after beating Japanese Kei Nishikori in the semifinals on Friday.
Djokovic defeated Nishikori in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in less than 2 hours 30 minutes. The 31-year-old man, who was crowned less than two months ago at Wimbledon, will attempt to win his fourteenth Grand Slam trophy on Sunday, his third at Flushing Meadows after 2011 and 2015.
Plunged in a bath of youth since his coronation at Wimbledon in mid-July, coming to close two years of vicissitudes, between painful elbow, operated at the beginning of the year, and head in bulk, Djokovic is only a match to give yet another dimension to his spectacular renaissance. In the meantime, he also became the first player to hold the complete Masters 1000 trophy collection with his title in Cincinnati.
“It felt great. I thought I came out of the blocks with great intensity and focus. Kei Nishikori is one of the quickest movers on the court. He takes away a lot of your time but I thought I took the points and played really well.” Djokovic said after the match.
“The majors are the biggest events we have in tennis and obviously every player wants to perform their best in Grand Slams. I have lost some big finals but also won some. Every time I come back to Arthur Ashe stadium I relive these memories and they give me a lot if strength.
“It means the world to me. I am trying to be the best that I can be. I am working hard every day and I am trying to reach certain heights that visualize every time I accomplish something big. I don’t see any limits. I keep on going and hopefully, you are enjoying my tennis.” Djokovic added.
Juan Martin del Potro booked his US Open final after beating Rafael Nadal (Source:www.usopen.org.)
If Djokovic wins on Sunday final, he will equal the American Pete Sampras to the number of titles in Grand Slam and will return to six lengths of Roger Federer, record holder with twenty crowns.
And the Serbian will be back on the world podium, in third place, as he started the season off the top-10, and even slipped out of the top-20 for the first time in 12 years at the end of May.
