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NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic had just held the serve for a 5-0 lead in the fifth set when he shouted Kobe Bryant while clenching his fist.
All Alexander Zverev could do was put his racket in his mouth and bite in frustration. On the other side, Djokovic could almost taste history.
Djokovic is one victory away from walking the sacred tennis court. A victory over second-seed Daniil Medvedev on Sunday would make him the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the Grand Slam calendar. One more victory and the best player in the world separates from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with his 21st Grand Slam victory.
Another victory and Djokovic arguably claims his title as the greatest male tennis player of all time. There is no argument from Zverev, who saw why Djokovic is here at the gates of history.
“I will consider this game as my last,” Djokovic said of Sunday’s historic final. “Because it’s probably the most important of my career maybe. Maybe not, I don’t know.”
In the time it takes for Stefanos Tsitsipas to complete a bathroom break, Djokovic turned a tension-filled semi-final into a rout in the fifth set, winning the first five games of the final set in 19 minutes before conclude a 4-6, 6- Victory 2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over the fourth seeded German.
“No one thought anyone would do it again, which Rod Laver did,” Zverev said. “I believe he will. He breaks all the records that exist.
“If you look at the statistics, if you look [at] the pure game of tennis, it is the greatest of all time. No one is there with him. Most weeks [as] World No. 1, most Masters 1000 titles, quite possibly the most Grand Slam tournaments at the end of the day. And he has the chance to win all four in the same year. How do you compete with that? “
Zverev gave Medvedev an overview of all it takes to beat Djokovic. At 5-4 in the third set, Zverev and Djokovic engaged in an absolutely ridiculous 53-ball rally. It wasn’t just the longest rally in the US Open, it was the longest of any major game Djokovic has played this year. Zverev had to hit a cross winner to end the grueling point, which lasted one minute and 18 seconds.
The problem for Zverev was that Djokovic still won the match and the set. To his credit, Zverev fought back and won the fourth. But as was his trademark style, Djokovic again punished his opponent as the match progressed. He is one of the closest to sport. His 32 five-set slam wins are the most players in history.
Djokovic almost always keeps his best tennis until last, leveling up a notch to fifth to outperform Zverev.
“Mentally, he’s the best player to ever play,” Zverev said. “Mentally in the most important moments, I prefer to play against anyone other than him.”
Djokovic, however, doesn’t just play the opponent on the other side of the net. With Laver watching over his shoulder in the stands, Djokovic faces history as well.
Serena Williams saw her candidacy for a calendar slam derailed in the semifinals here against Roberta Vinci in 2015. Entering this Open, Williams tried to avoid talking about history.
“I won that year,” Djokovic said of one of his three US Open titles. “I was talking to Serena. She was very emotional about everything that was going on. I can understand what she is going through right now. I understand it now… I understand why she wanted to avoid all questions about it because at the end of the day, you have to go out on the field and deliver. “
Perhaps it’s fitting that before Djokovic wraps up his late-night press conference, he quoted one of Bryant’s big quotes. Djokovic has long admired Bryant, and he remembered a famous line from Bryant in the 2009 NBA Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers led 2-0 over the Orlando Magic.
“This is his famous interview where he said, ‘Why should I be happy now? The job is not done,'” Djokovic said. “… It’s kind of an attitude I have. The job is not done.”
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