Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori power through brutal conditions at the U.S. Open to make it to the semifinals in impressive comeback years for both.
There were bizarre moments in the Novak Djokovic and John Millman quarterfinal, for sure. First there was confusion over getting a box of pills to Djokovic that his wife forgot to include in his bag. Then there was John Millman invoking the USTA regulation for “equipment out of adjustment” in order to go to the locker room and change out of his soaked clothes, during which time his Serb opponent took time to relax and cool down from the debilitating heat, sitting shirtless with a smile, during the time out.
“I’m sorry, man, I’m going to have to change,” Millman said to Djokovic.
“I was struggling. He was struggling,” Djokovic explained afterwards via The Independent. “He was apologizing he had to go change. I said, ‘Man go ahead. I’m ok just sitting down and relaxing.’ I needed that rest. It was great.”
Before that Djokovic lost his patience looking for “the tablets that my wife brought from the apartment.”
When the 13-time slam champ was asked about them in the press conference afterwards, he said “I can’t talk about that. They arrived in the end.”
But ultimately, he kept focused on the goal at hand and defeated Roger Federer’s ouster in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. If he wins the grand slam, it will be his second slam this year, making the second half of 2018 all about Novak Djokovic’s resurgence.
But first he must get through another player accomplishing his own comeback, Kei Nishikori, who won his match with Marin Cilic, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.
If Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic have received the bulk of the comeback attention, Nishikori has been building his career back up after a long injury absence himself. Flying under the radar, the former world No. 4 started out the year in two Challenger events, after being out the last half of 2017 with a wrist injury. You don’t normally see top players like Nishikori on the Challenger Tour, reserved for those trying to make it to the to the ATP big leagues. The Japanese player lost his first Challenger tourney at the beginning of the year, but won the second, giving him the confidence to build up to his successful clay season, where he lost in the Monte Carlo final to Nadal.
Nishikori has lost to Djokovic three times this year and the odds are against him, but if there’s anything we’ve learned these last two years, it’s been all about surprise comebacks.
Nishikori was also happy for his compatriot, Naomi Osaka, who easily defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1, becoming the first Japanese woman to make a grand slam semifinal in 22 years.
“It’s great to see,” Nishikori said about his countrywoman via BBC. “I hope people were watching us. Hopefully many people were cheering in support. Naomi’s doing well, because she has won a Masters [Indian Wells]. I think she can win a title now. It’s a big chance for her.”
Last year Madison Keys cried at the net when she lost to fellow American Sloane Stephens, who went out in her quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
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Keys, on the other hand, has been the one to watch, winning with her powerful forehand and efficient serve over 30th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-4, 6-3. If anyone can challenge Serena Williams in her bid for a record 24th slam, it’s probably Keys.
“I feel like a lot of my matches last year were emotional roller coasters,” Keys said according to Reuters. “This year I have been much more solid mentally. In tougher times I’ve been keeping my cool a little bit better and not having the big emotional swing to try to get back into matches.”
Both women’s semifinals will take place on Thursday, viewable on ESPN, with encore presentations on the Tennis Channel. The men’s semifinals will be on Friday.
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