Novak Djokovic has put the direct towards the title of the US Open after defeating in the quarterfinals in what, to date, has been his best match in this edition of the tournament, and which has helped him advance to the semifinals of the US Open, where he will face Alexander Zverev. After the victory against Berrettini, Djokovic is two games away from making history and becoming the first tennis player to win the 21 Grand Slam and in the interview at the foot of the track Patrick McEnroe wanted to ask him about it but a somewhat annoyed Djokovic interrupted him in the middle of the question. “I only think about the next game. I know the story but I want to look at the next game and go step by step.”
At a press conference, already calmer, Djokovic wanted to justify the reason for his reaction. “I've already answered that question many times recently, I think it's understandable. But I've had enough. I have said millions of times that I know the story and that of course it motivates me. But if I start to think too much about it, it burdens me mentally. I want to go back to basics and focus on what really worked for meto. I am in a unique position and I am grateful for it, it inspires me to do my best tennis. But I know I have to work to win my next game. That was the reason I stopped Patrick. I hope you didn't mind. I know a lot of people want to hear me talk about it. But hopefully we talk about it luckily on Sunday. “
Djokovic also took stock of the match against Berrettini and confessed that, despite the difficulty of his rival, he managed to start his best tennis. “They have been the best three sets that I have played in the tournament by far. I think I have controlled the growth of the level of my tennis. When I lost the first set, I changed to a different level and kept it until the last point. That is something that fills me with courage and gives me a lot of confidence for the semifinals. Playing against Matteo is always a great battle. He is a powerful player, one of the best in points of one or two strokes and hits his forehand from any position. He also has one of the best serves in tennis. He is a difficult player to play against him, with a lot of intensity on the court. But I notice that my game has grown and improved in the last games. I'm going in the right direction. “
Djokovic was also asked about his next opponent, Alexander Zverev, one of his black beasts at the Tokyo Olympics. “The Olympics were very hard for me emotionally. But I dominated the tournament until the semifinals. I was going 6-1 and 3-2 against Zverev, who was playing very well. I was playing very well, but my game fell. I had doubts with my Strokes, he read my serves very well, served very well and earned a lot of service points. I knew he would win and he deserved the gold because of how he was playing. He hasn't lost a game since. He's in fantastic shape. But here it is the best of five sets, it is a Grand Slam. In recent years he has played very well here and came within a couple of points of beating Thiem last year. I know it will be an even tougher battle than today. But I am prepared. These are the obstacles I need to get to the destination I want. I know his game, he plays very well and I have seen him play. We meet again in the semifinals. When we face each other, there is tension and I think the winner will be decided by a few points. We'll see what happens”.