NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic had just completed service to gain a 5-0 lead in the fifth set when he let out a scream from Kobe Bryant as he clenched his fist.
All Alexander Zverev could do was put his racket in his mouth and bite frustratedly. On the opposite side, Djokovic could almost taste the story.
Djokovic is one victory away from walking the sacred tennis court. A win over second-placed Daniil Medvedev on Sunday would make him the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the Grand Slam on the calendar. One more victory and the best player in the world separates Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with his 21st Grand Slam victory.
Another win and Djokovic is betting on his claim to be the best male tennis player of all time. There is no argument from Zverev, who saw why Djokovic is here at the gates of history.
“I’m going to treat this match like my last,” Djokovic said of Sunday’s historic final. “Because maybe it’s the most important thing in my career. Maybe not, I don’t know.”
In the time it took Stefanos Tsitsipas to complete a break in the bathroom, Djokovic turned a tense semifinal into a fifth-set defeat, winning the first five games of the final set in 19 minutes before closing out a 4-6, 6- 2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over German fourth brother.
“No one thought anyone would do it again, which Rod Laver did,” Zverev said. “I think he will. He is breaking all records.
“If you look at the statistics, if you look at [at] the pure game of tennis, is the greatest of all time. No one is there with him. Most weeks [as] number 1 in the world, most Masters 1000 titles, in all likelihood will be the most Grand Slam at the end of the day. And he has a chance to win all four the same year. How do you compete with that? “
Zverev gave Medvedev an insight into how long it takes to beat Djokovic. At 5-4 in the third set, Zverev and Djokovic took part in an absolutely ridiculous 53-ball rally. It wasn’t just the longest rally of the U.S. Open, it was the longest in any major match Djokovic has played this year. Zverev needed to hit a cross-country winner to finish the exhausting point, which lasted a minute and 18 seconds.
Zverev’s problem was that Djokovic was still winning the game and the set. To his credit, Zverev fought and won the fourth. But as has been his brand style, Djokovic again punished his opponent as the match continued. It is one of the biggest closers in the sport. His 32 wins in five sets in the slams are the most players in history have achieved.
Djokovic almost always keeps his best tennis to the end, earning his level another category in the fifth to beat Zverev.
“Mentally, he’s the best player the game has ever played,” Zverev said. “Mentally, in the most important moments, I’d rather play against anyone but him.”
Djokovic, however, not only plays the opponent on the other side of the net. With Laver watching his shoulder in the stands, Djokovic also hurts the story.
Serena Williams watched as her bet on a schedule derailed the semis by Roberta Vinci in 2015. Upon entering the Open, Williams tried to avoid talking about history.
“I won that year,” Djokovic said of one of his three U.S. Open titles. “I was talking to Serena. She was very excited about everything that was going on. I can relate to what happened right now. I understand now … I understand why I wanted to avoid all the questions about it because at the end of the day, you to get off the track and deliver “.
Perhaps it’s worth noting that before Djokovic finished the night’s press conference, he cited one of Bryant’s big dates. Djokovic has admired Bryant for a long time, and remembered Bryant’s famous lineup from the 2009 NBA Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers won 2-0 at the Orlando Magic.
“It’s his famous interview where he said,‘ Why should I be happy right now? The work is not finished, “Djokovic said.” … That’s the kind of attitude I have. The work is not finished. “