Novak Djokovic knew he was going to be in for a tough fight. He didn’t once describe Matteo Berrettini as “The Hammer of Tennis” for nothing, and he knew he had to be at his best to prevail in his United States Open quarterfinal match yesterday. Certainly, it meant starting fast as well, a virtual necessity given his first-set losses in three of his four matches at Flushing Meadows this year. The sixth seed wasn’t merely any other opponent, and far be it for him to flirt with danger by competing from behind.
Unfortunately, Djokovic failed to translate plan to action, and he found himself playing catch-up anew. He proved unable to hold serve in his sixth time out, and Berrettini promptly consolidated the break to claim the first set. If there was any one particular statistic that stood out to underscore his relative lack of competitiveness, it was that he committed a whopping 17 unforced errors; for a master returner whose capacity to construct points is without equal in the sport, the number elicited cause for concern.
To be sure, Djokovic likewise possesses the singular ability to recover quickly. He may be three-fourths on the way to the first Grand Slam in tennis over the last half century and change, but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for him. In a third of his 25 major championship outings this year prior to his meeting with Berrettini, he spotted a set to the player on the other end of the court. Every single time he had a handicap, however, he promptly course-corrected. Yesterday was no exception; he won every set thereafter, and in convincing fashion, committing just 11 unforced errors all told.
Dark clouds remain in the horizon. Up next for Djokovic is Alexander Zverev, his Tokyo Olympics tormentor and last year’s US Open runner-up. All the same, he’s favored to prevail, and not simply because of the obvious chasm that exists between him and the tournament’s fourth seed. To argue that he rises to the occasion would be an understatement. And with history at stake, it’s fair to say he himself is his biggest obstacle.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.