NEW YORK — Facing two match points against a beloved player whose name is already in the history books, Novak Djokovic clenched his jaw, nodded his head and flashed an ever-so-slight glimpse of a smile.
“I would lie if I say I didn’t think I’m going to lose,” Djokovic said.
Might as well go down swinging then, right? He turned violently on a wide, 108 mph serve from Roger Federer for a cross-court, forehand winner that barely nicked the line.
The fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium, ready to explode for a Federer victory, instead found themselves taking a cue from Djokovic — who raised his hands, asking them to pump up the volume, and give him a little more love.
About 10 minutes later, those same fans were dancing with Djoko as he boogied at center court to celebrate an epic U.S. Open semifinal win — one in which he dug out of a two-set hole, then saved two match points to beat Federer for the second straight year.
Top-seeded Djokovic won 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday to improve to 63-2 on the year. This was only his second career comeback from two sets down, and Federer lost a two-set lead for the second time in three months after going 178-0 lifetime before this year’s Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Next, Djokovic will face defending champion Rafael Nadal in a rematch of last year’s final. No. 2 Nadal beat No. 4 Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the later semifinal. Djokovic is 5-0 against Nadal this year. All the meetings have been in tournament finals, including Wimbledon.
“I will try my best,” Nadal said. “I play last year’s final against him. I think I played a fantastic match. I will try the same.”
Nadal’s four-set win over Djokovic last year made him the fourth man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year since the start of the Open era. Djokovic could become the fifth, though he said regardless of what happens, the comeback win over Federer will always stand out.
