US Open 2021

Djokovic ready for first test

World No. 1 faces big hitter Berrettini next and is glad to perform to a full house in NY

NEW YORK • Novak Djokovic's quest for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years has yet to be troubled so far, but he believes his first real obstacle is coming up.

The world No. 1 faces a tough challenge from Italian sixth seed Matteo Berrettini in the US Open quarter-finals today as they meet in a third consecutive Slam.

The Serb advanced within three matches of making history by fending off 99th-ranked American Jenson Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, leaving the host nation without a men's or women's player in the quarter-finals for the first time.

Not since Rod Laver in 1969 has a man swept all four Majors in the same year and if the 34-year-old wins his fourth career US Open crown, he will have a record 21 Slams, breaking the deadlock he now has with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both absent in New York with injuries.

Next up for the tournament favourite is a Wimbledon final rematch against Berrettini, whom his opponent calls the "Hammer of Tennis".

Of all the players he has faced, Djokovic feels the world No. 8 is "probably the hardest hitter of serve and forehand" next to 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.

"He's got the lethal-serve-plus-one game. He's already established as a top player," he said of Berrettini, who beat German Oscar Otte 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. "If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he's tough. He's tough on any surface to play against."

Djokovic has a 3-0 advantage in head-to-head meetings, including their most recent clash at Wimbledon in July and he is aiming to put the hammer down once more.

"We're going to play the third Grand Slam in a row against each other," he said.

"Hopefully, the result will be the same like the previous two."

Brooksby, 14 years his junior, looked fitter from the jump but the wild card eventually wilted, leading retired 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick to tweet: "First he takes your legs... Then he takes your soul."

"Thanks Andy," Djokovic said. "I'll take that as a compliment, the first part. The second part, I don't take anybody's soul... But I'll take your legs out, that's for sure."

Djokovic was also delighted to play before a full crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the wake of limited crowds at prior Slams due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"People missed the action, missed the entertainment, being locked up for more than a year," he said. "Now, under certain conditions, you are able to go and watch sports live, which is nice.

"Last year-and-a-half was tough for everyone, so it's really refreshing and it's really beautiful to see a full stadium."

As his potential date with history moved nearer, Djokovic recalled dyeing his hair for his first Slam match as a 17-year-old at the 2005 Australian Open.

"It wasn't really very satisfying for my mother to see that," he said. "The conversation we had after was not great for me. But we had a good laugh about it.

"That seems like ages ago, and it is. I mean, it has been now 16 years since my first centre-court Grand Slam match. It has been a while. But what a great ride.

"It's difficult to reflect on everything while you're still in the bus and you're still riding... Tennis is such a sport that really you have to turn the next page the next day. But I try to be grateful about it."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 08, 2021, with the headline Djokovic ready for first test. Subscribe