Tennis player Novak Djokovic dismissed in four sets (5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3) Matteo Berrettini (8e), Wednesday, September 8, to reach the semi-finals of the US Open, where he will face one of his main rivals, Alexander Zverev. This victory brings him a little closer to a historic Grand Slam calendar, that is to say the fact of winning the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, which no player has achieved since Rod Laver, in 1969.
As in the first round, the third and the round of 16, the world number one lost a set, the first. But, unlike those previous matches, where he ended up gaining the upper hand and giving the impression of mostly fighting against himself, this time he produced his best tennis in the next three innings.
The first act of this meeting, of a rather unprecedented violence in the exchanges, first saw the Italian pounding “Nole”, who could not do much in return, and was broken in 6-5. Berrettini finished on his fourth set point after seventy-seven minutes.
Ovation
Not at all disconcerted, the Serbian broke for the first time in the second set, to lead 3-1, his returns increasingly taking the measure of his opponent’s service. And he equalized with one set everywhere, winning Berrettini’s bet again. The scenario was thus repeated, inevitably, in the third and fourth rounds.
Despite boisterous Italian supporters, the Serbian was given a unanimous standing ovation from Arthur Ashe Stadium, impressed by his rise to power. Knowing that a great match is looming on Friday against Zverev.
