The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Djokovic two wins away from calendar-year Slam
Ask other tennis players what makes Novak Djokovic great, what has pushed him to the brink of the first calendar-year Grand Slam by a man in more than a half-century, and the responses might include a mention of the way he returns serves or his ability to cover the court or his two-handed backhand. And so on.
What they also invariably praise are his mental strength and physical stamina, his focus and his fitness, especially when it comes to the best-of-five-set format used at the majors, where he is 26-0 in 2021 heading into his U.S. Open semifinal against Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev today.
Just a sampling of assessments from male and female pros:
■ Sam Querrey: “His best trait is his mind.”
■ Maria Sakkari: “Novak is from a different planet. Really. I mean, the way he plays, and the way he sees, tennis (is) like no one else.”
■ Steve Johnson: “His belief is so high.”
The latest to stand across the net from Djokovic was No. 6 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Like Djokovic’s previous two opponents at Flushing Meadows, Berrettini grabbed the 77-minute opening set. Like in Djokovic’s previous two matches — and six others at Slams this season when he dropped one or two sets to start — he won, as Berrettini faded to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 defeat.
It brought to mind what former player Andy Roddick, the 2003
U.S. Open champion who went 5-4 against Djokovic from 200712 when their careers overlapped, tweeted a couple of days earlier: “First he takes your legs ... then he takes your soul.”
So which is tougher to overcome against Djokovic, the prowess of his body or his mind?
“A little of both,” Berrettini said. “Even if you see him get flustered, he can get in his zone. That’s something that, over time, he’s created. You feel that from the other side of the net. From a physical standpoint, I feel like I can play at a high level, but it almost seems like he doesn’t get fatigued. It’s kind of like he says, ‘OK, bring it. Tired? I can stay here for three or four days.’ That’s the sensation.”
Berrettini is all too familiar with that sensation. He also took the first set on the way to a four-set loss in the Wimbledon final, which followed Djokovic’s triumphs at the Australian Open in February and the French Open.
“You need to keep up that physical and mental intensity that we had in the first set for four or five sets. That’s the key. It’s not a given that you can’t do that, but no one in the world has managed to,” Berrettini said, then added with a chuckle: “There are 8 billion of us, and no one has done it.”
Now it’s Zverev’s turn to try. He enters on a 16-match winning streak, including coming back from a set and a break down to upset Djokovic 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals of the Summer Games.
“I feel like I was the first player to beat him in a very big match this year. That does give you something,” Zverev said.