In a Grand Slam final showdown that was a tale of two comebacks, Novak Djokovic got the best of Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 on Sunday evening at the U.S. Open. Djokovic triumphed in New York for a third time and captured his 14th career major title after three hours and 15 minutes.
The Serb seized control with a surprising service break from 40-0 down at 4-3 in the first set. That allowed him to serve things out in the ninth game, which he did in relatively routine fashion.
This one packed almost all of its drama into an incredible second frame of play, in which Del Potro recovered from a 3-1 deficit to lead 4-3 before coming tantalizingly close to taking a 5-3 advantage. Djokovic, however, survived a wild service game that lasted more than 20 minutes to hold for 4-4. The world No. 6 (No. 3 on Monday) eventually forced a tiebreaker and battled back from an early mini-break deficit to win it seven points to four.
Del Potro did not go down without a fight, as he broke back for 2-3 in the third. But Djokovic still had all of the momentum and a fuller gas tank, so he was quick to regain the upper hand. It was all but over for the 29-year-old Argentine when he dropped serve one more time at 3-4, and Djokovic’s hold one game later propelled him past the finish line.
Highlights:
“I’m very sad for being a loser today,” admitted Del Potro, who was back in a slam final for the first time since winning the 2009 U.S. Open–a triumph that preceded all kinds of wrist problems. “But Novak deserved to take the trophy. He played a great match; very smart game. I had my opportunities during (the) second and third set.
“But I was playing almost at the limit all the time, looking for winners with my forehands, backhands, and I couldn’t make it because Novak [was] there every time. He’s a great champion, so I’m glad for him.”
Coming back from physical problems of his own, Djokovic has raised his level to incredible heights after missing the second half of 2017 and struggling through the first four months of 2018. He has now won back-to-back slam titles (also Wimbledon) to go along with his first-ever Cincinnati triumph.
“If you told me in February this year when I got the surgery that I’ll win Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Cincinnati, (it) would be hard to believe,” the 31-year-old commented. “But at the same time there was always part of me that imagined and believed and hoped that I can get back on the desired level of tennis very soon. I expected, to be honest, after surgery that I’ll be back on a high level quite fast. But it took me actually four months. In that process, I learned a lot about myself, learned to be patient–which was never really a stronger side of me.
“But at the same time, life showed me that it takes time for good things; it takes time to really build them, for things to fall into place, so you can center yourself, balance yourself, and thrive. The last two months have been terrific.”
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