What makes Novak Djokovic great? Shots, yes, but also mind

NEW YORK >> Ask other tennis players what makes Novak Djokovic great, what has pushed him to the brink of the first calendaryear 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-fiveset format used at the major tournaments where he is 26-0 in 2021 heading into his U.S. Open semifinal against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev on Friday.

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.”

• Dusan Lajovic: “The persistence and level of consistency that he has is just unquestionably his biggest weapon.”

• Jessica Pegula: “I don’t see any weaknesses. We’ve seen him cruise through tournaments. We’ve seen him come from behind and get himself out of situations. He seems to conserve his energy and know when to turn it up.”

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?