It was nothing short of a bizarre semifinal at the U.S. Open on Friday afternoon, as Novak Djokovic beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the title match for the seventh time in his career at this tournament. Djokovic needed two hours and 32 minutes to scrape through what became a roller-coaster of a contest against the mercurial Monfils.
Just 90 minutes into the showdown, Djokovic found himself leading by two sets and a break at the expense of a flailing Frenchman. Boos from the crowd even poured down on Monfils for a perceived lack of effort, after which he finally picked up the pace midway through the third. The world No. 12 broke Djokovic twice in a row and ended up storming back to force a fourth set.
In what proved to be the final frame of play, both men struggled physically in extremely humid conditions while also dealing with various nagging injuries. Monfils seemed to be plagued by knee pain; Djokovic had work done on both arms throughout the match. Without too much trouble, however, the world No. 1 restored order to the proceedings early in the fourth and managed to get the job done without having to expend too much extra energy.
“It was a strange match,” Djokovic assessed, “as it always is, I guess, when you play Gael–who is very unpredictable player. I could expect that in a way. I was 5-love up in less than 20 minutes and everything felt great. But that’s Gael; that’s the way he plays.”
Monfils was just being Monfils, so he did not find it strange at all.
“Strange match why?” he asked in response to the opening question of his press conference. “I think it was hot and humid; it was very physical. The heat (did) not really help us…. I think I [tried] my best every time. He was just too good.”
But it was still far from peak Djokovic, who has been mostly untested throughout the Flushing Meadows fortnight. The top-seeded Serb regretted his inability to meet the challenge during the brief moments in which Monfils raised his game.
“I think I should not have allowed him to come back to the match after (being) two sets to love up and 2-0 in the third,” Djokovic commented. “That was the momentum shift when I lost my service game. He started believing in himself. I think he felt like he needs to step it up and start to play better, which he did–and then crowd was behind him. They wanted to see [a] long match. I think we both physically struggled a little bit towards the end of the third and fourth set.”
The nightcap also resulted in a four-setter that was similarly energy-sapping, but it featured far better quality. Stan Wawrinka has now reached the final of three different slams, as the 2014 Australian Open winner and 2015 French Open champion defeated Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.
Nishikori, the runner-up at this event in 2014, took the first set before sets two and three lasted a combined one hour and 59 minutes, but the Japanese start wilted in the fourth amidst a flurry of huge groundstrokes by Wawrinka.
“I think we all know during the season I had some ups and downs,” the Swiss said in his on-court interview. “I’m focused here; to accept the fight. I’m proud of myself [for staying strong]. I’m really excited. I’ve watched the (U.S. Open) final so many times. It’s going to be something special.”
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who ya got?
Monfils says he tried his best all the time! Wow! Shameful … How big a lie that is.
It is so hard to predict how will Djokovic play in the final. I guesss even he doesn’t quite know where his true level is! He has been getting walkovers, injured opponents or opponents who are not interested for two sets :s
His path to the final has been good for his body but I don’t know how much for his game. Generally he is a player who overcomes some tough moments ealier on but then peaks semi onward.
I don’t know. Tennis is a highly mental game, and playing Djokovic no doubt makes you suffer if you don’t have an obvious weapon to knock him off. I thought the idea from Monfils was right, slow it down, give Novak awkward lengths to work with. However, his execution was poor, and usually tends to be if you drastically try to change your game.
In any case, he didn’t play straightforward tennis for a reason, you don’t usually beat Djokovic that way.
haha… don’t know how you can justify what he did! so how well did his ‘tactics’ work? 6-2 6-3? yeah very nice. The only set he won after being down 2-0 is when he played his normal brand of tennis! Next time, he can also bring a wheel chair on the court and try to disrupt Djokovic’s rhythm?!
There are thousands of players who can’t find a way to beat Djokovic so should they start doing such pathetic things? There are people who paid 400 dollars or something to watch a slam semi. Got to have some respect for the game.
Djokovic was actually playing worse than he played against Querry at Wimby! Monfils actually had a chance of winning this or pushing this to five because he was playing great tennis coming into this match.
What he did was stupid, disrespectful and shameful on all levels.
I was glad to hear J Mac and Chris Fowler having similar sentiments and being bewildered as to how someone can treat a slam semi like that for full two sets.
I just don’t think it was completely intentional. Tennis is a funny game, and I’m sure you’ve played enough to know what I’m talking about. Mind you, Simon almost beat Djokovic with similar tactics but he knew how to execute, it is his stock game.
If Monfils had gone with his game in set 3 right throughout, he would have probably lost in three closer sets. The disruption in rhythm contributed to him winning in the third. That, and Novak’s dud serve, which has been a feature for most of post AO 2016.
Simon is a unique player; he hits very flat strokes, barely over the net and his shots are penetrating and can go CC or DTL, making them very difficult to deal with. Its no wonder Simon could trouble Fed so often and now Djoko. The shots keep coming back that Djoko with his retrieving capabilities still find them frustrating to deal with.
Monfils doesnt play or hit that way and he hits from so far behind the baseline that its easier to move him along the baseline. Monfils is fond of running and sometimes unnecessary to do so hence he could run out of steam so frequently.
Nole may lose a set but he isn’t going to let Wawa win this…the stars aligned for Novak this time…he practically had to do NOTHING to reach the finals and that probably happened for a reason…it would require Novak being way bellow his usual level to not win the title…Poor Nishi had his chances yesterday but was not fit enough to fight…Nole is well rested and mentally strong and confident…he does not need to be at his best to win the title…
Nole in 4
Not sure how confident Djokovic is… wawrinka has been raising his level and he can also move to another gear for the final.
It is a pity that wawrinka’s ROS is generally a very safe shot…I hope he gets out of his comfort zone and hits through some of those second serve returns to create more doubts in Djokovic’s mind.
In normal circumstances, Djokovic would he the normal choice but this time there is so much uncertainty.
And, remember that in each of the five 5-setters they have played Stan was considered to be a vlear underdog. This time he can go in the match with even more belief.
Stan’s backhand DTL is working well now and he surely has a solid chance here.
It depends on Novak’s serve primarily.
Yeah serve is important but Stan is a safe returner generally speaking…. notice how many second serves he just sliced back Vs Kei last night.
Hitting good slices can do fine against Novak to start a neutral rally because Novak is not the best at punishing slices… But, Stan will have to step up and attack weaker serves.
The problem is that there is uncertainty surrounding Novak which makes this final a very interesting prospect.
That is due to how he holds his racquet for the return in general. He can premeditate if he wants to, depending on the situation.
I still think Novak desperately needs to up his serving game a lot more if he wants to win. Free points go a long way in men’s tennis.
Monfils is a loser and is satisfied to always be one that much is clear. I have Stan as a slight favorite for this match. He comes up big in finals.
Disgusting what Monfils did last night and he thought it was all good!!
after last night’s freak show i don[t see nole as the fave to win. his success has been based around a really solid serve which is no longer there. stan destroyed andy’s second serve 2 years ago so he does know how to attack on ros
is anyone else as furious as i am about rafa not being in teh final? he should have beaten pouille, ditto monfils and this nole was there for the taking. if he had been in the final then he would have every chance of beating this stan.
it really is ridiculous he is out early again given the draw
Yeah I was also furious, that Rafa let that 5th set slipped away! If Rafa continues to play like this, ie losing when in a winning position, then he deserves to lose.
I really cant stand him saying he’s going to work harder, but what’s the point of working harder when he still couldnt cross over the finishing line, not because he didnt have opportunities to do so but he simply threw them away wasting all the chances. What have his team done, to help restore his confidence? It seems that they are not doing anything, or even if they have done something, its still ineffective.
If he’s going to continue like this, he’s not going to win any slam, not even Masters. Injury or not, his past two years results at the slams were pathetic for a no.5 ranked player. Fed in 2013 at age 32 and with bad back could still reach SF of AO; QF at FO. This year Fed reached SF of AO and despite his knee injury, still managed to get to SF at Wimbledon, whilst Rafa managed 2 QFs last year and this year cant even get past the fourth round at any slam.
I think Djoko at 30 will also fare better than Rafa at 30. Rafa and his team are not doing the right thing to take care of his body, letting him push it so hard that part by part, the body breaks down – knees, back, wrists. Its really frustrating to see Rafa letting opportunities slipped away time after time. His AO draw, except for R1 Verdasco, he didnt have many obstacles until the later stages and yet he allowed the R1 match to slip away!
agree with all that lucky. if i hear any more about practice practice practice i may go stark raving bonkers!
rafa needs to fix his head above everything else. why not use a mind coach or similar like just about everyone else?
if he can’t fix his mind-set things will just stay the same. i just read that when asked about the nerves he shows in slams he completely denied it! well he is in denial as everyone can see now..
all the players know what is going on and wait to pounce..that makes it even worse as they know they just have to guts it out and rafa will start to fall apart..
Rafa really lost a golden opportunity….I was thinking the same
it is all a bit absurd vr. could have been looking at winning #15
The problem with that is if Rafa couldn’t play well enough to beat Pouille, then how could he beat the top players? That was a match that Rafa should have won. You have to herb through the early rounds and rafa had a great draw.
I can’t say that Rafa would have taken out this Novak. If he can’t get there to play him, then one has to assume that he was not playing well enough. Also, Novak has s big mental advantage playing Rafa now because of all his recent wins against him. So I think the whole argument is moot.
Monfils blew a huge opportunity in his semifinal match with Novak. His tactics were dreadful and not acceptable for a professional tennis player.
But, Rafa clearly not playing that well, if not he would have beaten Pouille. I watched the recorded match again and noticed that Rafa was not hitting his FH that well, netting it at times and overhitting it too. His BH, he hit it too flat and netted many of them. The serve, better not talk about it anymore, not to mention his poor record in TBs, losing them more than he winning them, often not clutch enough where it mattered.
I must have sounded negative but Rafa did improve compared to AO this year and USO last year. At least he was just a few points away from winning; also Pouille was a tougher opponent compared to Verdasco or Fognini, being more consistent throughout a match and played with varieties.
he played well against delpo at the olympics! if he had beaten lucas he would have got better as he would have relaxed more. he plays at a much higher level after the first 4 rounds so you can’t say that the level he was at against lucas would have been teh same later.
it is incomprehensible to me why they don’t use a serve coach. all they do is come up with ‘solutions’ which create new problems ie the new serve position with the swinger taking away the t serve and being so predictable. vr said that toni doesn’t know much about serves and it shows! no wonder rafa gets tense with that abomination dragging his whole game down
that abomination refers to the serve btw!!
andy murray has improved his dreadful second serve and it’s now more difficult to attack. why can’t rafa do the same…? because andy murray works with new people and adds to his game.
I don’t know what to expect in the final. Novak could come out in better weather conditions and a later match start time and play really well. The one thing is that his serve seems to have been affected by whatever shoulder issues he is having. Stan was blocking back returns against Nishi and I don’t know if that will be enough even against. Novak not serving his best.
Stan has been kind of up and down with his level of play and that could be a factor. We know that Stan has the game to beat Novak. But that means staying at a high enough level in a best of five set match. Stan had his problems against Nishi.
I do think this will be a competitive match. Stan certainly has a chance to win. There is a question mark regarding Novak at this time. I do think his path to the final has been embarrassingly easy. Getting all that time off while dealing with some shoulder or arm issue, obviously helped him. It was a gift.
I guess Rafa’s back injury must have affected the way he served, if not I dont see why he couldnt serve like he did at USO2013 (and I’m not even talking about his big serve of USO2010). In that USO2013, Rafa didnt lose his serve until the SF vs Gasquet, and his serve was clutch enough to save him from losing the third set in the final.
I just hope Rafa continues to work on his serve, with outside help if needed. The serve is very important esp on grass and quick HCs.
I wonder if it’s the back injury that has caused Rafa’s serve to degrade. I still think that getting even a consultant to help with Rafa’s serve would be a good thing. I believe that they got a consultant back in 2010 to help with that big serve. Even if there are limitations with Rafa’s back, there are ways around that.
Rafa is under too much pressure when serving. Some of it has been mental, but players also seem to be reading his serve more easily. This is something that Rafa and his team can and should be working on, but given the wrist injury it probably made it difficult.
I just know that rafa cannot continue to lose opportunities when they are there. The clock is ticking and time is not on his side.
As far as the final, I can see Novak coming out and playing better than expected. He’s done it many times. It’s true that he hasn’t been tested so far. We don’t know for sure what to expect.
I don’t know if Stan is where he needs to be in order to beat Novak.
I tend to agree with amy about Rafa being able to beat this Stan if only he was not so tentative in that Lucas match…I do not know about Novak though since Rafa is clearly low-spirited when facing Novak… just because none of us have seen Novak’s true level, as he has not been tested so far at this USO, doesn’t mean he will not move to another gear enough to beat just about anybody on the other side of the net…I am sure Nole would have raised his level enough to beat Rafa…and honestly, these days those who believe they could beat Rafa manage to do so mainly because Rafa lets them with his disbelief and his inability to trust his own game…
I did not see much of Nole’s game at this USO but I still think he will not let this one go…Wawa will fight no doubt about it, but Novak is not Nishi…If Novak gets 15 opportunities to break Wawa (Wawa was indeed generous but Nishi failed to convert) be sure he’ll take them…
Don’t like CryBabe abandoning his family always pointing to his big fat head yelling cmon even more than Hewitt in his non native language pandering to the crowd.
Vamos Nole.
Let’s do this.
There. I said it.
#DoingTheRantings
Also the crowd will be well over half fedfans who will cheer against Nole which is another reason for me to want Nole to win.
Vamos Nole.
i want nole to win as well. stan is becoming super annoying. maybe after nole beats him stan will still point to his head and forget he’s lost. who knows? it’s becoming so automatic i reckon he does it in his sleep and could do himself an injury…
it’s becoming a bit sinister like a kind of strange salute…
I for one feel that, Stan employed those floaty 2nd serve returns as a great tactic to make Nishi generate all the pace and sap his energy even further.
He can attack the 2nd serve returns too, if required.
Wawrinka’s serve is a pretty underrated aspect of his game. He seems to be the only one of the top guys who manages to win even after averaging around 55% for 1st serves in almost all his matches.
I’m really happy with the Final lineup.
This is the final that I wanted to happen : Nole vs Stan (or Delpo).
May the best man on the day win!
It will be easy for me to watch this final, because I have no emotional investment in the outcome. I can’t support either player. I thought Murray would be in the final. I really wanted it to be Rafa, but I knew that wasn’t a realistic expectation.
I just hope to see a good match.
Wawrinka is really fired up .Nole has had a cakewalk.Going on gut Id say Stan in five.
I agree that it seems like stars are aligned. Stan has had more time on court but he will have the Fed fan support. Nole will have to fight crowd and Stan but he will endure.
60/40 nole/stan.