Novak Djoković

[grzes430]

US Open 2018: Novak wyprzedził Connorsa, 42. wielkoszlemowy QF.


Olympics - NBC Sports

Najwięcej QF WS:
1. Roger Federer 53
2. Novak Djoković 42
3. Jimmy Connors 41

[DUN I LOVE]

Będzie grzał do 50-tki teraz.

[grzes430]

Djokovic Downs Sousa; Into 11th US Open Quarter-final

Spoiler:

Two-time champion to meet Federer or Millman in quarter-finals
Novak Djokovic reached his 11th US Open quarter-final on Monday, moving past Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in a humid day session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic, who will face Roger Federer or John Millman in the last eight, advanced after one hour and 59 minutes to maintain his unbeaten record in fourth-round matches at the year's final Grand Slam (11-0).

Meeting for the second time in five FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic converted five of six break points and hit 23 winners to progress. In their first meeting, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2013, Djokovic dropped just four games, overpowering Sousa 6-0, 6-2, 6-2.

“I felt like in the first couple rounds, I was still struggling a little bit with the level. I wasn't that consistent,” Djokovic said. “Then last match against Gasquet, and also today, was pretty good. So I'm really pleased with where my game is at at the moment. Getting into quarter-finals, ready to perform well.”

The two-time champion, who improves to 28-0 in New York against players outside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings, is bidding to lift his third US Open title on his first visit to the tournament since reaching the 2016 final (l. to Wawrinka). The Serbian also remains undefeated at the quarter-final stage in Flushing Meadows (10-0).
Five-time winner Roger Federer or John Millman of Australia will look to stop Djokovic from reaching an 11th US Open semi-final. In August, Djokovic beat the Swiss for the 24th time in 46 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings to capture the Career Golden Masters in Cincinnati. Djokovic defeated Millman in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter at the 2018 Fever-Tree Championships.

"At the earlier stages of my professional career, I've lost to Roger more than I have won in terms of those big matches,” Djokovic said ahead of a potential 47th instalment in his rivalry with Federer. “He was just always so good in the most important matches, most important tournaments.

"He never seemed to drop a level of his tennis. To me, at the beginning of my career, professional career, I was struggling to have that consistency of the high level.

"That's where, you know, I had to sit down with the team and figure out the way what it takes to win against him, what do I need to improve in my game, my mental approach, mental strength, just ability to cope with the pressure in those moments and try to prevail. That was probably one of the ultimate challenges that I've ever had in my career.”

Following comfortable holds in their opening service games, Djokovic made the first move in an extended third game. The 70-time tour-level titlist, after failing to convert his first break point, fired a cross-court backhand passing shot, beyond a stranded Sousa at net, to move ahead. Three service holds later, Djokovic played with consistency, while Sousa struggled to find holes in his opponent's defence. The World No. 68 dropped his serve to love, on a double fault, to hand Djokovic a one-set advantage.
After trading breaks early in the second set, Djokovic covered the court well, playing with great depth, to extract errors from his opponent. Under score line pressure, serving at 4-5 (30/30), Djokovic's reliability worked wonders. The Serbian soaked up the pressure, extracting two forehand errors to close in on his 11th quarter-final appearance in New York.

A tighter third set ensued, with neither man able to manufacture a break-point opportunity through eight games. But, at the business end of the set, Djokovic discovered his top form. The Wimbledon champion took control on his backhand side, firing winners to earn three break points at 0/40. Djokovic converted his first chance with an overhead down the centre of the court before serving the match out to 30.

Sousa, the first Portuguese player to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam, was aiming to defeat his third Top 20 opponent in four rounds at the US Open. Despite entering the tournament on a seven match losing streak at tour-level, the 29-year-old won back-to-back matches against Pablo Carreno Busta and Lucas Pouille to create Portuguese history.

Did You Know?
Novak Djokovic has reached the semi-finals or better on his past 10 US Open visits.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dj ... -day-eight

[arti]

Rafa, Roger Or Novak? Coach Kerr Reveals Who Would Get A Warriors' Contract

Spoiler:

Steve Kerr, the head coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, knows something about winning. He claimed five championships as a player, and has won three titles in the past four years as a coach.

So when the longtime tennis fan, who has spent time at the US Open this week, says he’s impressed, that holds weight.

“The sport is one that I just really connect with and I love watching the modern-day player,” Kerr told ATPWorldTour.com. “I mean the guys on the men’s side right now, this is as good as it will ever get. These guys are some of the greatest players of all-time.”

Kerr follows the bigger tournaments from afar, and he comes to New York, where his wife is from, to enjoy the world’s best compete in person.

“I love coming here,” Kerr said. “It works out well with our schedule with the NBA because we don’t start training camp until September. So this is always kind of a fun vacation, an unbelievable sporting event for us. I love tennis, love watching these guys, love New York, so it’s always a great week.”

Federer
Photo Credit: Golden State Warriors
Kerr’s experience with tennis has not come solely at the US Open, though. The Warriors were in Shanghai last October for an exhibition game during the Rolex Shanghai Masters. One thing led to another and Roger Federer visited the team in its locker room. Kerr remembers his players ‘peppering him with questions’, and Federer’s response to one in particular stood out.

“That was amazing,” Kerr said. “Draymond Green asked him, ‘How have you been able to stay on top for so long?’ Because that’s what we’re trying to do with the Warriors. We’re trying to keep it going and it’s hard. Roger’s been doing it forever. His answer was so profound. He talked about his work-life balance, how much he loves his life. He loves his family. He loves his daily routine of taking his kids to school and practising and playing tennis and cooking dinner. He reminded me a lot of Steph Curry in that regard. He’s taken what could be a very complex life and really distilled it down into a simple, joyful one, and I think our guys really took something with that.”

And, as Kerr says, there are some similarities between basketball and tennis that he appreciates.

“The movement is very similar. It’s one of the reasons I loved playing tennis. I can’t do it anymore, because my knees don’t hold up, but I loved playing for years after I retired because the movements were all very similar,” Kerr said. “You’re chasing a ball, you’re down in a crouch. A defensive stance in basketball is the same position you’d be in in tennis, getting ready for your next shot. Lateral movements, up and back, jumping up to hit a lob, whatever.”

It is safe to say the coach has been able to see plenty of that in Flushing Meadows. And you won’t be surprised by who some of his favourite players to watch are.

“Roger is Roger. Everyone likes watching him. [Novak] Djokovic is a favourite of mine. I love his movement on the court. He just seems to cover everything side to side. He’s so fast and agile. It’s hard not to like [Rafael] Nadal. Very unique, just with the spin that he puts on the ball. He looks like a linebacker out there. He’s such a physical force. But I love those guys,” Kerr said. “I was a big Andy Roddick fan while he played. I was always cheering for Andy. But really I love this era. I think, as a tennis fan, we’re lucky to be in this era where we probably have three of the top six or seven players of all-time playing right now and they have been playing over the past decade or so at just an incredibly high level.”

Now, it’s safe to say Kerr’s Warriors are doing just fine. But would he give any of the ATP World Tour’s players a shot?

“Gosh. I might go with Djokovic,” Kerr said. “I think he can guard anybody. He moves his feet extremely well. Side to side, I think he can stay in front of anybody. I think he’d be good in the fast break. I’d like to see him on a basketball court.”

But first, you can catch the two-time US Open champion on the tennis court Wednesday night as he faces John Millman in the quarter-finals.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/ke ... 18-feature

[Damian]

Millman Out Of Magic, As Djokovic Keeps US Open QF Streak Alive

Spoiler:

Djokovic to face Nishikori in 2014 semi-final rematch

While on paper, Novak Djokovic had cruised past John Millman in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting — earlier this year at Queen’s Club — he knew Wednesday evening’s US Open quarter-final would not be as easy against the Aussie. Millman did beat five-time champion Roger Federer in the fourth round, after all.

But the No. 6 seed took care of business, ending the best tournament of the 29-year-old’s career with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic remains undefeated in quarter-finals here in Flushing Meadows, reaching the last four at the event for his 11th consecutive appearance.

“I really have respect for him, said Djokovic. “I thought his kind of approach and mindset even before Roger's match, [his] match against Roger and [the] match against me today, he showed respect to us, but he said, ‘I'm going to go out and I'm going to play. I'm not going [to] play, to satisfy the crowd and make it a nice-looking match. I just want to win.

“Credit to him for saying that and coming out and really backing that up with a performance. I mean, he's a great fighter… just all-around player. I think he has had probably the tournament of his life and a match of his life against Roger. He made me run and he made me earn my match today, earn my win.”

The 70-time tour-level titlist breaks a tie with Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, now standing alone behind Jimmy Connors, who owns a record 14 US Open semi-finals. It is the second time Djokovic is into the last four at a major this year, following his triumph at Wimbledon.

The Serbian will now have a chance to avenge his most recent semi-final defeat in New York when he faces No. 21 seed Kei Nishikori, whom he lost to in the last four in 2014. The Japanese won two of their first three FedEx ATP Head2Head showdowns, with one of them being that semi-final, but Djokovic has reeled off 13 straight in their series since.

When asked about facing Nishikori, Djokovic said, “He's got one of the best two-handed backhands in the game and very quick. If not the quickest, then one of the quickest players on the tour. He has phenomenal footwork. I have played him recently in quarter-finals of Wimbledon. [It was a] tough first two sets, then, after that, I felt like [in the] third and fourth [sets] I played very well. I raised my game.

“We faced each other many times in different tournaments. I have lost – probably the biggest match I lost – against him was here back in 2014. He loves playing here obviously. He had a tough one today against Cilic and managed to prevail in that match, which was quite impressive. He's known to be a very disciplined guy. Works hard and very talented.”

You May Also Like: Four Years On, Nishikori Battles Past Cilic In New York Thriller
Djokovic

Djokovic came out of the gate against Millman dictating play from on top of the baseline, especially off the forehand wing. The 31-year-old was taking the ball early, forcing Millman off the baseline and allowing the Serbian to play at his own pace and control rallies, helping him break to set the tone.

But while Millman couldn't convert his only break point at the end of the first set, his heavy ball-striking and Djokovic slightly backing off the baseline allowed the Aussie into more points, as if the two-time champion was waiting for the World No. 55 to make a mistake. And while the scoreline might indicate a routine victory, it was by no means easy for the recent Wimbledon and Western & Southern Open champion.

The players endured long, grinding rallies, with one exchange going 27 shots. Millman was working so hard that at 2-2 in the second set, he was allowed a break to change his attire as his sweat was leaving excessive moisture on the court. According to a USTA statement, "The chair determined that the surface was dangerous enough to invoke the 'Equipment Out of Adjustment' provision in the ITF Duties and Procedures for Officials and allowed Millman to go off court to change clothes/shoes."

Djokovic was fine with the delay, and he would eventually break in the second set thanks to a double fault. But after breaking in the third set and appearing in cruise control, things got complicated. While serving up 3-2, Djokovic hit a double fault after a time violation warning. On the next point he was penalised for a second consecutive time violation with the loss of his first serve on break point. The Serb then missed a forehand wide to give the Aussie his first break of the match.

But the Serbian buckled down, launching plenty of deep returns in the next game to earn a 0/40 advantage. And while Djokovic only converted three of his first 19 break chances, Millman slapped a forehand into the net to give the Career Golden Masters holder his fourth break of the match, which proved decisive.

Millman, who was competing in his first major quarter-final, was trying to become the first Australian Grand Slam semi-finalist since Lleyton Hewitt made the last four at the 2005 US Open. The lowest-ranked player remaining is projected to climb to a career-best No. 37 on 10 September.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dj ... -wednesday

[DUN I LOVE]

22-10 jest Novak w połówkach szlemów - wynik bardzo fajny, ale przy Nadalu cienizna.

[grzes430]

US Open 2018: 33 wielkoszlemowy półfinał.


BBC

1. Roger Federer 43
2. Novak Djoković 33
3. Jimmy Connors 31
4. Rafael Nadal 29

[Barty]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYx1kM4 ... o&index=19[/youtube]

[arti]

[Lleyton]

[Lleyton]

Novak Djoković: To najtrudniejszy US Open, odkąd tutaj występuję

Spoiler:

- Jeśli chodzi o warunki pogodowe, na przestrzeni ostatnich dziesięciu, od kiedy mniej więcej tu występuję, jest to najtrudniejszy US Open - powiedział Novak Djoković po awansie do półfinału nowojorskiego turnieju.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
07 Września 2018, 14:45
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Getty Images / Matthew Stockman / Na zdjęciu: Novak Djoković

Zapraszamy na TYPER.WP.PL! Wejdź i stwórz własną ligę!

W ćwierćfinale US Open 2018 Novak Djoković pokonał 6:3, 6:4, 6:4 Johna Millmana. - Millman jest typem tenisisty, który swoją grą sprawia, że popełniasz błędy. Oglądałem drugą część jego meczu z Federerem i widziałem, że Roger przegrał, bo popełnił wiele błędów. Millman nie myli się często. Po prostu biega od lewej do prawej i odbija piłki. Dlatego, grając z nim, musisz znaleźć odpowiedni balans pomiędzy byciem cierpliwym a agresywnym i musisz wykorzystywać szanse, gdy on zagrywa krótszą piłkę, Ale mam do niego szacunek. Jest walczakiem, rozegrał turniej życia, pokonał Rogera, a mnie także zmusił do wysiłku - mówił na konferencji prasowej.

Podczas meczu z Australijczykiem Serb zmagał się z kryzysem fizycznym. W trakcie drugiego seta sprawiał wrażenie pozbawionego sił i kilka razy musiał ratować się przed upadkiem na kort. - Zapytałem sędziego, czy na tym korcie jest jakaś forma klimatyzacji, bo czy jest dzień, czy noc jest tutaj jak w saunie i nie ma czym oddychać. Widzieliśmy Rogera. On nigdy się nie poci, a w meczu z Millmanem był cały mokry. To fantastycznie, że mamy tu dach, bo to sprawia, że gry nie są przerywane, gdy pada deszcz. Ale na poziomie kortu w ogóle nie ma cyrkulacji powietrza i przez to wielu tenisistów ma problem z oddychaniem. Uważam, że to jest coś, co organizatorzy powinni przemyśleć - zaapelował.

Zapytany, czy jest to najbardziej wymagający US Open w dziejach, odparł: - Z szacunku dla tych, którzy grali w poprzednich dekadach, nie mogę mówić o ujęciu historycznym. Mogę mówić tylko sobie i, jeśli chodzi o warunki pogodowe, na przestrzeni ostatnich dziesięciu, od kiedy mniej więcej tu występuję, jest to najtrudniejszy US Open. Tenisiści nie mają czym oddychać i, zwłaszcza w pierwszych rundach, było wiele kreczów. Nigdy też nie pociłem się tak bardzo, jak tutaj. Na każdy mecz muszę brać po dziesięć koszulek, bo po dwóch gemach jestem cały mokry.

Mimo ekstremalnych warunków, Djoković doszedł już do półfinału. Teraz czeka go mecz z Keiem Nishikorim, z którym wygrał 14 z 16 dotychczas rozegranych konfrontacji. - On ma jeden z najlepszych oburęcznych bekhendów na świecie i jest jednym z najszybszych, jeśli nie najszybszym, tenisistów w rozgrywkach. Jest bardzo utalentowanym i zdyscyplinowanym facetem. Ciężko pracuje i ma świetny sztab na czele z Michaelem Changiem. Jest doświadczony i grał w rozstrzygających fazach najważniejszych turniejów. W ostatnim czasie przeszkadzały mu kontuzje, ale bez wątpienia jest jednym z pięciu-dziesięciu najlepszych tenisistów świata - ocenił Serb.

ZOBACZ WIDEO Sektor Gości 90. Urszula Radwańska: Potrzebowałyśmy z Agą odciąć się od taty. To była dobra decyzja

- To będzie dla mnie świetny pojedynek. Spotykaliśmy się wielokrotnie. Mieliśmy kilka meczów, które wygrałem bez straty seta. Ale największą porażkę z nim poniosłem właśnie tutaj, w półfinale w 2014 roku. On gra bardzo szybko, dlatego będę musiał zagrać na najwyższym poziomie, aby konkurować z nim w wymianach z linii końcowej, oraz zachować czujność od pierwszego punktu - dodał.

Spotkanie Djokovicia z Nishikorim zostanie rozegrane w piątek. Rozpocznie się nie wcześniej niż o godz. 23:30 czasu polskiego.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/77563 ... -wystepuje

[Damian]

Djokovic, Federer Clinch 2018 Nitto ATP Finals Spots

Spoiler:

Serbian and Swiss stars to return to London

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, two of the most successful players in the history of the season finale, have joined World No. 1 Rafael Nadal as qualifiers for the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November.

Buy Your Tickets

Five-time former champion Djokovic clinched his place in the elite field for the 11th time by reaching the US Open final on Friday with victory over Kei Nishikori of Japan, which meant that six-time titlist Federer automatically sealed his spot for a record 16th season as a result of the Grand Slam champion rule. (See explanation below)

The 31-year-old Djokovic made 10 straight appearances at the prestigious season-ending tournament from 2007-2016, compiling a 31-11 record with titles in 2008, 2012-15. He also reached the 2016 final, finishing runner-up to Andy Murray in a match that decided who finished year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.


Djokovic has returned to his peak-performance days in 2018 with his fourth Wimbledon trophy (d. Anderson) in July and a historic first Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati (d. Federer), which saw him become the first singles player to capture all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in the history of the series (since 1990). Having won 21 of his past 22 matches, the Serbian will play Juan Martin del Potro, who is currently in third in the ATP Race To London, in his seventh US Open final on Sunday.

Federer will make a 16th visit to the season finale, having competed in 2002-15 and 2017, with a 55-13 match record, including titles in 2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11. He also reached the final on four other occasions, finishing runner-up to David Nalbandian in 2005 and to Djokovic in 2012, ’2014-15.

More than 14 years after he first became No. 1, Federer returned for a six-week stint to the top of the ATP Rankings on 19 February 2018, breaking a number of records — the longest period between stints at No. 1, the oldest player to attain top spot and for the longest duration between first and last days at the summit of men’s professional tennis. He also held the top spot on two other occasions, in the week beginning 14 May (one week) and from 18 June (one week), for 310 weeks overall.


The 37-year-old Swiss retained the Australian Open crown (d. Cilic) in January, marking his 20th Grand Slam championship trophy, and the following month he captured the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament title in Rotterdam (d. Dimitrov), after which he returned to No. 1 for the first time since 4 November 2012. Federer picked up the 98th trophy of his career at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (d. Raonic), and also finished runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (l. to Del Potro), which broke a 17-match winning streak, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle (l. to Coric) and in Cincinnati.

Del Potro is the next in line to qualify for the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, which would mark his first appearance at The O2 in London since 2013. Alexander Zverev of Germany, Croatia’s Marin Cilic, Kevin Anderson of South Africa and Austria’s Dominic Thiem hold down the fifth through eighth spots in the ATP Race To London.

The Nitto ATP Finals welcomes more than 250,000 fans to The O2 arena annually, as well as generating global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million viewers each year, as the ATP’s best eight singles players and doubles teams compete over eight days at the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

Why Does Federer Qualify?
Once Djokovic set a US Open final with Del Potro, Federer clinched his berth because of the 'Grand Slam Champion rule', which reserves one place in the eight-man field for a current-year Grand Slam champion who finishes between Nos. 8-20 in the ATP Race To London. Federer, the reigning Australian Open champion, may finish in the Top 7 and not need to lean on that rule to qualify. But he is guaranteed to finish the year in the Top 20 of the Race.

If Djokovic wins the US Open final, then Federer is the only Grand Slam champion not already guaranteed of finishing in the Top 7. If Del Potro wins the US Open final, the Argentine will have enough points in the Race to qualify on points alone, again leaving Federer as the only Grand Slam champion not already with enough points to guarantee a Top 7 finish. But the Swiss would still be guaranteed of finishing within the Top 20.

More Stories Like This In: Nitto ATP Finals Tournament News 2018 Media Releases Press Releases Novak Djokovic Roger Federer

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dj ... lification

[DUN I LOVE]

Djoković osiągnął w tym roku 11. półfinał w Nowym Jorku i przed nim już tylko Jimmy Connors.

1 Jimmy Connors - 14
2 Novak Djoković - 11
3 Roger Federer, Andre Agassi - 10
5 Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl - 9

[Lucas]

[Barty]

[Damian]

From Slow Start To Same Old Novak: Can Djokovic Be Stopped In New York?

Spoiler:

Serbian bidding to join Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam crowns
In May, Novak Djokovic entered the Internazionali BNL d'Italia with a 6-6 tour-level record in 2018.

After a fourth-round loss to inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung at the Australian Open, his first tournament appearance in six months, Djokovic underwent a small medical intervention on a right elbow injury. On his return to action in March, back-to-back opening match losses in Indian Wells and Miami followed, before early defeats on clay in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid.

In Rome, Djokovic produced an encouraging run of performances before falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. That result saw the Serbian, who reached the final in the Italian capital 12 months earlier, drop to No. 22 in ATP Rankings on 21 May; equalling his lowest position since 2 October 2006.

A disappointing loss to breakout star Marco Cecchinato in the Roland Garros quarter-finals followed, before Djokovic's season took a sharp turn for the better as he walked onto the grass courts of Great Britain. The former World No. 1 reached his first final in almost a year at the Fever-Tree Championships in June, holding championship point before falling in three sets to Marin Cilic.

"There was always part of me that believed I could come back relatively quickly to the level of tennis that I once was playing," said Djokovic. "But at the same time I felt like the six months off served me very well to find new motivation, inspiration, to recharge my batteries and also to understand how I want to continue playing tennis... I had more time to work on certain things. Unfortunately I couldn't serve because I still had that pain. But all the other shots I could really work on.

"I think sometimes that's nice to have, even though you don't want to be injured. At the same time it allows you to have more periods of time where you can focus on certain elements in your game, things that usually you don't have time to reflect on."

Not to be discouraged by his near miss at The Queen's Club, Djokovic went from strength to strength, ending his 54-week title drought at Wimbledon. The Belgrade-born star defeated World No. 1 Nadal in the semi-finals, over two days, after five hours and 15 minutes, in an instant classic on Centre Court before capturing his 13th Grand Slam crown with a straight-sets win over Kevin Anderson.

A Round of 16 loss to #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas followed at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, a stumbling block on the road to Djokovic's unique entry into the history books, in the following week, at the Western & Southern Open. In Cincinnati, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the championship match to capture the Career Golden Masters, completing his set of the nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles..

The first man to ever accomplish the feat, Djokovic entered New York high on confidence and has carried his form through the tournament. Since dropping the third set of his second round match against Tennys Sandgren, Djokovic has won 13 consecutive sets; his second longest streak en route to a championship match.

Number Of Consecutive Sets Won At A Grand Slam By Djokovic En Route To The Final

Event Sets Won Final Result
2008 Australian Open 18 d. Tsonga 46 64 63 76(2)
2018 US Open 13 vs. Del Potro
2011 Australian Open 12 d. Murray 64 62 63
2016 Roland Garros 9 d. Murray 36 61 62 64
2015 Wimbledon 9 d. Federer 76(1) 67(10) 64 63
With a 68-10 record at the US Open, Djokovic will face Juan Martin del Potro for the 19th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (Djokovic leads 14-4) in Sunday's final. Bidding to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year for the third time in his career (2011, 2015), Djokovic will attempt to record his fourth consecutive victory over the Argentine. Del Potro's last victory against Djokovic came in the opening round of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"He's a big-time player. He's a big-match player. He's a Grand Slam winner," said Djokovic. "He's playing the tennis of his life, without a doubt, in the past 15 months... Ever since [the 2016 Olympic Games, he has been] very consistent in the big tournaments. That's what has made him No. 3 in the world. He's working his way up. He's playing really some powerful tennis."

Will Djokovic, appearing in an Open Era record-tying eighth US Open final, be able to lift his third title in New York and join Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slam titles? One thing is for sure, Djokovic certainly has momentum on his side.

Most Grand Slam Titles (All Time)

Position Player Grand Slam Singles Titles
1 Roger Federer 20
2 Rafael Nadal 17
3 Pete Sampras 14
4 Novak Djokovic 13
5 Roy Emerson 12
"Seeing the results, the consistency of the results I've had here, it probably has been my most successful Grand Slam," said Djokovic. "Of course, I won the Australian Open six times, never lost finals there. I think I've played more than 10 semi-finals here. It's definitely one of my favorite tournaments to play because of the conditions and because of the fact that I've played so well in each year that I keep on coming back to the US Open.

"I know that I feel very comfortable here. It just allows me to feel more comfortable playing, starting the tournament and going through it. I have two finals won and five losses. But hopefully I can get one better in few days."

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dj ... 18-journey

[grzes430]

US Open 2018: 23. wielkoszlemowy finał!


India TV

1. Roger Federer 30
2. Rafael Nadal 24
3. Novak Djoković 23

[Damian]

Novak Djoković przed finałem US Open: Del Potro jest stworzony do wielkich meczów

Spoiler:

Juan to łagodny gigant. Jest wysoki, potężnie uderza, ale jednocześnie pielęgnuje właściwe wartości w życiu. Jest wspaniałym tenisistą, stworzonym do wielkich meczów - mówił Novak Djoković przed finałem US Open z Juanem Martinem del Potro.

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US Open: solidność i pełna kontrola Novaka Djokovicia. Serb wyrównał rekord finałów w Nowym Jorku
W półfinale US Open 2018 Novak Djoković pokonał 6:3, 6:4, 6:2 Keia Nishikoriego. - Zaczynając mecz, wiedziałem, że gram z bardzo szybkim tenisistą, któremu nie mogę dawać czasu na wykonywanie uderzeń. Zdawałem sobie sprawę, że muszę posyłać piłki z odpowiednią prędkością, bo wtedy sprawię, że on nie będzie się czuł komfortowo i zacznie popełniać błędy. I tak właśnie było. Nieustannie wywierałem na nim presję, starałem się zmuszać go do biegania i odbierać rytm. Dobrze również serwowałem i returnowałem - mówił na konferencji prasowej.
Wygrywając, Djoković awansował do 23. w karierze wielkoszlemowego finału. - Wielkie Szlemy to szczyt naszego sportu. Zawsze chcesz w nich grać jak najlepiej. To wyjątkowe wydarzenia. Dwutygodniowy turniej, w którym grasz w formule do trzech wygranych setów. Czołowi tenisiści, w tym ja, zawsze podczas tych turniejów chcą wypaść jak najlepiej.

W finale US Open Serb zagra po raz ósmy. Zwyciężał dwa razy (sezony 2011 i 2015). - Jeśli chodzi o regularność wyników, jakie tu osiągam, to mój drugi najlepszy Wielkim Szlem, po Australian Open, który wygrałem sześć razy. Biorąc pod uwagę panujące tu warunki i fakt, że prezentuję się tutaj dobrze, to jeden z moich ulubionych turniejów - wyjawił.

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Finałowym rywalem 31-latka z Belgradu będzie Juan Martin del Potro. - Juan to łagodny gigant. Jest wysoki, potężnie uderza, ale jednocześnie pielęgnuje właściwe wartości w życiu. Dba o rodzinę, o przyjaciół i szanuje każdego. A podczas meczów zawsze walczy od pierwszej do ostatniej piłki. Traktuje innych tak, jak sam chce być traktowany, i myślę, że dlatego ludzie go tak kochają - ocenił.

Niedzielny mecz (początek o godz. 22:00 czasu polskiego) będzie 19. pomiędzy Serbem a Argentyńczykiem. Częściej, 14-krotnie, wygrywał belgradczyk. - Graliśmy ze sobą wielokrotnie, ale nigdy w finale turnieju wielkoszlemowego, więc to będzie dla nas coś nowego. Wiem, co mnie czeka, i postaram się jak najlepiej przygotować. On od zawsze ma mocny forhend, jeden z najlepszych w historii. Ale jest też bardzo inteligentnym tenisistą, który potrafi obrać dobrą taktykę. Kluczowe na pewno będą mój return oraz bekhend. Będę musiał zagrywać piłki jak najbliżej linii końcowej. Ważny będzie także serwis. Kiedy grasz z takim tenisistą, czujesz presję również w gemach przy własnym podaniu - analizował.

- Bardzo lubię Juana. Jest moim bliskim przyjacielem. On od zawsze był w gronie pięciu tenisistów świata. Nawet kiedy walczył z kontuzjami i spadł w rankingu, jego powrót do czołówki był tylko kwestią czasu. Przed meczem z Nadalem widziałem statystykę, że, biorąc pod uwagę tenisistów, którzy nigdy nie byli na pierwszym miejscu w rankingu, on odniósł najwięcej zwycięstw nad liderami klasyfikacji. To tylko pokazuje jego jakość. On jest wspaniałym tenisistą, stworzonym do wielkich meczów - dodał Djoković.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/77600 ... ich-meczow

[DUN I LOVE]

8 finałów US Open - Novak wyrównał wynik Samprasa i Lendla. Zostawił w tyle Federera i Connorsa (7).

[Damian]

PHOTOS: Photos: Best of Novak Djokovic at the US Open
https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/galle ... djokovic=5