Novak Djokovic still earns every win and holds off the youngsters
Novak Djokovic reacts after defeating Ben Shelton during their U.S. Open semifinal match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday. Credit: Errol Anderson
Novak Djokovic was patient, ever so patient.
For two hours and 41 minutes of his U.S. Open semifinal match Friday, Djokovic remained stone faced. He ignored Ben Shelton’s fist pumps and shouts. He let the player that some have nicknamed Box Office Ben put on a show for the fans with his big serve and big screams.
But in the very end, after he had earned yet another trip to the U.S. Open Final with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) win, Djokovic let his mask drop and made it abundantly clear how annoying he found the antics of the 20-year-old American.
The Serbian superstar mocked Shelton by mimicking the young player’s trademark celebration of hanging up an imaginary phone before the two exchanged an icy handshake.
Cold? Yes. Deserved? Maybe.
The in-your-face celebration was an interesting turn of events that may say something about Djokovic’s mindset as he advances to Sunday’s final against Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, Friday.
Medvedev, you may remember, is the player who left Djokovic in tears two years ago when he beat him in straight sets in the final of the U.S. Open.
While there is some thought that Djokovic has caught a break given that Alcaraz had become a fan favorite at the U.S. Open, that may be something Djokovic no longer obsesses about.
Djokovic is no longer worried about being cast as the villain. He no longer enters every U.S. Open final wanting to win both the match and the fan’s hearts. At this stage of the game, he just wants to win and if he had to beat a fan favorite, so be it.
“The fact is that at age 36, every Grand Slam final could be, I don’t know, the last one,” Djokovic said after beating Shelton. “So I think that I probably value these opportunities to win another slam more than I would have 10 years ago . . . I don’t know how many I have ahead of me or how many years there will be where I play [in the finals] of four slams.”
With the win, Djokovic improved his record in Grand Slam play this season to 26-1. That’s right. He has played in every final this year with his only loss being a five-setter to Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
Djokovic has not only outlasted the two more popular members of the Big 3, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he is regularly beating back challenges from tennis’ 20 somethings. And it was clear Friday this is a fact he is proud of.
“It probably sounds cocky or arrogant, but I'm not really surprised, because I know how much work and dedication and energy I put into trying to be in this position, so I know that I deserve this,” Djokovic said about appearing in his fourth Grand Slam final of the year. “Age is just a number.”
Djokovic’s numbers at the U.S. Open, however, have never been as good as they are at other Grand Slam venues. Only three of his Grand Slam titles have come here, while he has won 10 in Australia, the other Grand Slam played on a hardcourt surface.
Djokovic, who didn’t play here last year because of his vaccination status, hasn’ won the U.S. Open since 2018. In his last appearance here in 2021, he admits he folded under immense pressure as he was trying to complete a rare calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic could excise a lot of old ghosts if he could set the record here with a win on Sunday. At the time he spoke with the media Friday, he did not know who is opponent would be as Alcaraz and Medvedev were still in the first set of their semifinal match.
What he did know is that either opponent would be a stiff challenge given that they were the last two players to beat him in a Grand Slam final. Beyond that, he did not want to think about what is at stake Sunday or how many more chances to would get to win a Grand Slam title.
Said Djokovic: I don't want to even consider, you know, leaving tennis or thinking about an end if I'm still at the top of the game. I just don't see a reason for that. I will probably consider doing that if I get my [butt] kicked by young guys in the Grand Slams in the years to come in the earlier stages, and then I'll probably say, okay, maybe it's time to move on.
“But so far, you know, I still feel that I'm in the game.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
