10. 09. 2011. ·
Photo: Getty Images
Unbelievable comeback two years in a row! Truly outstanding performance!
Nole fought back from two sets down and saved two match points to defeat no.3 seed and five-time US Open champion Roger Federer 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 for a place in his third US Open final!
The top-seeded Serbian star will attempt to become the sixth man in the Open Era to win three major titles in the same year after he fought past the Swiss in 3 hours and 51 minutes on Saturday.
As both players held their serve, the opening set went into a tie-breaker. Nole was 3-6 down, but managed to come back and level the result. The Serb saved one more set point, but Federer used his fifth chance and won it 9-7 in 55 minutes.
Djokovic was broken in the third game of the second set. He fought back in the sixth game, but the Swiss broke him once again in the seventh, kept the advantage and took the set 6-4.
Being two sets to love down, Novak knew he needed to change something to get back into the match. He was more aggressive, his returns were much better, his body language showed he believed. The 2011 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion broke Federer’s serve in the second game and held comfortably for 3-0. The 24-year-old closed the set 6-3.
Nole carried his momentum into the fourth set and with two breaks, for 6-2, levelled the match at two sets all.
The decisive fifth set went on serve until the eighth game. Novak double-faulted to hand Federer three break points and the Swiss converted the first for 5-3 and a chance to serve out the match. The Basel native earned two match points, but Nole came back from the brink of defeat like last year. He saved them both and capitalised on the second break point opportunity to stay in the match. The world no.1 overpowered the Swiss once again to grab another break in eleventh game and served out the set and match 7-5 for historic victory!
This is Novak’s 10th win out of 24 matches they played.
It is the first year since 2002 that the 16-time Grand Slam champion has not won a major title.
“It was definitely the biggest win this year,” Djokovic said on court immediately following his victory. “One of the biggest wins of my career.”
“I had to take my chances. I was very close to being on my way back home. He was serving, 40-15 up. I got a little bit of energy from the crowd, and I fought back. I needed to stay positive, and I definitely didn’t want the French Open to happen again,” Nole added during his press conference.
“It’s always important to be calm, to stay positive, and to believe, to believe that you can win.”
Match statistics: aces (8-11), double faults (6-4), winners (48-49), unforced errors (35-59).
Nole will face defending champion and no.2 seed Rafael Nadal in a rematch of last year’s final at Flushing Meadows.
The Spaniard beat world no.4 Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
The title match is scheduled on Monday at 22.00 CET (16.00 local time).
