Djokovic wins US Open for 14th major, tying ‘idol’ Sampras

Nsqueaking around the blue court in Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the roof was closed because of rain.

“I was playing almost at the limit, all the time, looking for winners with my forehands, backhands, and I couldn’t make it,” del Potro said, “because Novak (was) there every time.”

Never was that more apparent than the game that stood out on this evening, with Djokovic serving while down 4-3 in the second set. They went back and forth, through eight deuces and all those break opportunities for del Potro, until he slapped one forehand into the net, and another sailed wide.

Those were high-risk shots, but, as del Potro put it: “It’s the only way to beat these kind of players.”

Djokovic’s coach, Marian Vajda, called that moment the match’s “turning point, obviously.” When it ended, with Djokovic holding to 4-all, spectators began leaving their seats, perhaps thinking it was time for a changeover, even though it wasn’t. That prompted to chair umpire Alison Hughes to chastise them.

It was a brief request, though, unlike her many other pleas for quiet, mainly as fans were shouting and chanting and clapping in support of del Potro. It all bothered Djokovic, who started yelling and gesturing toward the seats. At one moment, he pressed his right index finger to his lips, as if to say, “Shhhhhhh!” Later, after winning a point, Djokovic put that finger to his ear, as if to say, “Who are you cheering for now?!”

The tiebreaker was resolved thanks to more del Potro miscues on his forehand side, as he looked more and more fatigued. He made one last stand by breaking and holding for 3-all. But that was that.

When it ended, thanks to a three-game closing run by Djokovic, he flung his racket away and landed on his back, arms and legs spread wide.

He had hit his peak, Vajda said, at “just at the right time.”

Djokovic had never gone through an extended absence until 2017, when he sat out the second half of the season because of elbow pain that had plagued him for more than a year. He tried to return at the start of this season, but couldn’t, and opted for surgery.

It took him some time to find the right form, as evidenced by his quarterfinal loss at the French Open to a guy who was ranked 72nd and had never won a Grand Slam match until that tournament.

“I was very, very disappointed with my performance that day,” Djokovic recalled Sunday, explaining that he went hiking in the mountains in France to clear his head after that setback.

Djokovic then got right back to work, and announced that he was, once more, himself by winning Wimbledon.

Now he’s backed that up at the U.S. Open, the fourth time in his career he won multiple majors in a season.

“Difficult times, but you learn through adversity,” Djokovic said. “I try to take the best out of myself in those moments.”

EW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open final sud denly appeared to be slipping away from Novak Djokovic. He dropped three consecutive games. He was barking at himself, at his entourage, at a crowd vocally supporting his opponent, Juan Martin del Potro. He was, in short, out of sorts.