Novak Djokovic is delighted to beat Kei Nishikori at the US Open on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic didn’t try to keep his thoughts to himself on the court, the way he did during his first two US Open matches. Instead, he asked the crowd to make noise by pointing his ear, slapping his chest or raising his fist to celebrate success.
It was Djokovic that everyone is used to seeing – yes, winning on the Grand Slam stage, of course, as he always does in this magical season, but also animated and in it, the audience joins him for his ride. encourages to. The Path Towards Tennis History.
Taking another step in his bid to complete the first calendar-year slam by an individual in more than a half-century, Djokovic moved into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for his 14th consecutive appearance, beating Kei Nishikori 6–7 back. Have come. 4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.
“I am not planning for such emotional moments on the court, be it good or bad. It just happens,” Djokovic said. “In the heat of battle, when you think this moment is so important… you just want to get those things out of your system – I guess try to ride that energy wave that you create. Whether with you, whether with the crowd.
Djokovic, 34, of Serbia, who is ranked No. 1, now leads 24-0 in four of the sport’s most important events this season, having won the Australian Open in February, the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July. The last man to take 4 for 4 in a Major was Rod Laver in 1969; Steffi Graf was the last woman in 1988.
Win four more matches next week, and Djokovic will also earn the 21st Slam trophy of his career, breaking the men’s mark currently shared with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I wouldn’t be completely honest if I told you I don’t think or don’t believe or imagine I can win every single Grand Slam I play in,” Djokovic said. “I don’t get surprised when I win slams and big tournaments because it’s always a goal.”
It was in the fourth round last year when Djokovic’s US Open ended, after hitting a ball late in the first set and inadvertently hitting a line judge in the throat.
He will now play 20-year-old American wild-card entrant Jenson Brooksby or 21st seed Aslan Karatsev, who is this year’s Australian Open semifinalist. Other players ahead in the sunshine on Saturday included Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini and No. 13 Jannik Sinner – he gave Italy a pair of men in the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in the event’s 140-year history – against Olympic women. Along with gold medalist Belinda Bencic, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, 2020 French Open champion Inga Swietake, two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova and Britain’s 18-year-old Emma Raducanu.
1 Ash Barty and Tokyo Games men’s champion Alexander Zverev were to play in the night session. After eliminating some inexperienced opponents ranked 121st and 145th, Djokovic faced someone in Nishikori who had been runner-up at the 2014 US Open and ranked as high as No.
Here, however, there was a problem for Nishikori going into this encounter: he had lost his last 16 matches against Djokovic. And when Nishikori roared loudly from the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium, stealing the first set, the march was soon in progress for the 17th consecutive number.
“I don’t think I started very well. I was pretty passive. I was way too far back on the court. He was directing the play,” Djokovic said. Played aggressively.”
A key statistic: Djokovic made 20 unforced errors in the first set, then reduced him to an average of 10 1/2 per set in the last three.
Here’s more: Djokovic scored 15 aces for him.
“I couldn’t break the wall,” Nishikori said. “He’s very tough by the end.”
And Djokovic reacted with joy to the key moments, receiving similar performances from fans who were barred from the tournament in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The crowd was involved. It was loud. It was cool,” said Djokovic. “I thrived on that.”
When he broke to take a 2-1 lead in the second set, he won a spectacular points that ended with both men near the net, turning around and screaming, mouth-fire. At his guest box, his wife, Jelena, stood up and shouted, “Come on!”
When Djokovic saved a break point in the third set, he indicated that he wanted to cheer loudly by reaching up to his right ear and wiggling his fingers. When he broke down to go up 5-3, he pursed his lips and said, “Oh!” In the next game, he reacted to a net drop shot by tapping the head three times with his racket, then shouting first on one side of the stand, then the second, when he claimed that set.
Djokovic described his improved game as “getting back that groove and getting that rhythm” as the match progressed, the last 3 1/2 hours.
In other words, he might just be hitting his stride.
“Maybe,” Nishikori said, “he’s feeling that inside – a lot of pressure – but I couldn’t see that during the match.”
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