Djokovic reaches his 10th U.S. Open final by beating Shelton in straight sets
Novak Djokovic limited big-serving Ben Shelton to five aces and broke him five times. He pushed back when the 20-year-old unseeded American produced a late stand that got the home crowd into the match.
And after finishing off a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory in New York City to reach his record-tying 10th U.S. Open final, Djokovic added a touch of insult to injury by mimicking the kid’s “Hang up the phone!” celebration gesture.
Djokovic then pointed to his temple and pounded his fist on his chest, before a stone-faced Shelton met him at the net for the most perfunctory of handshakes. A year after Djokovic could not travel to the United States for the Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, the 36-year-old from Serbia is one victory away from a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 24th Grand Slam championship overall.
“These are the kind of matches and occasions that I still thrive on. They still get me going and inspire me to wake up and work hard like the young guys,” said Djokovic, who would be the oldest man to win the U.S. Open in the professional era, which began in 1968.
“I still feel I have something in my legs left,” he said. “I still feel I have something to give to the sport.”
Novak Djokovic is headed for yet another Grand Slam final. <a href=”https://t.co/RvwLB8hRue”>pic.twitter.com/RvwLB8hRue</a>
—@usopen
Shelton made things interesting in the third set, lifting his level of play as Djokovic seemed to get a bit tight as the finish line neared. Shelton broke twice, even held a set point at 5-4 and erased a match point on the way to forcing the concluding tiebreaker. But Djokovic, always so tough at the toughest moments, pulled out the win.
On Sunday, he will face either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz — who defeated Djokovic for the Wimbledon title in July — or 2021 U.S. Open champ Daniil Medvedev.
If Djokovic does end up leaving with the hardware this time, he would break a tie with Serena Williams for the most major singles championships in the Open era.
No matter who the opponent or what the outcome is in the final, No. 2 seed Djokovic will replace No. 1 Alcaraz atop the ATP rankings on Monday.
