Djokovic joins idol on No.14
NOVAK Djokovic was thrilled to match Pete Sampras with a 14th grand slam title yesterday, but he said it was Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who had made him.
“Pete Sampras is one of the biggest legends ever to play the game,” Djokovic said after earning a third US Open crown with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over Juan Martin del Potro. “He was my childhood idol. “The first actual thing I saw related to tennis on the TV was his first or second Wimbledon championship. That inspired me to start playing tennis.
“There is a lot of significance of me being now shoulder to shoulder in terms of grand slam wins with him.”
The victory puts Djokovic three slam wins from Nadal’s 17 and six behind Federer’s record 20.
“Maybe 10 years ago I would say I’m not so happy to be part of this era with Nadal and Federer,” he said.
“Today I really am. I feel like these guys, rivalries with these guys, matches with Federer and Nadal, have made me the player I am. I owe it to them.”
Although he was riding high coming into the US Open having won at Wimbledon and Cincinnati, Djokovic was among the many struggling with crushing heat and humidity in the first week.
After seizing an early break in the second set against del Potro, he suddenly found himself on the run, dropping three straight games before he dug in to salvage a service hold in a 20-minute game that went to deuce eight times. AUSTRALIAN star Ashleigh Barty has landed her maiden grand slam title, teaming with American CoCo Vandeweghe to win a thrilling US Open women’s doubles final.
Barty and Vandeweghe saved three match points to edge second-seeded Australian Open champions Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6) in the first women’s doubles grand slam final decided in a third-set tie-break.
The 22-year-old and Vandeweghe prevailed after fighting off two match points in the second set and another in the deciding breaker.
“This last fortnight has been really fun on and off the court. We’ve been relaxed,” she said.