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Kei Nishikori stuns Novak Djokovic to reach US Open final in four sets Kei Nishikori stuns Novak Djokovic to reach US Open final in four sets
(about 2 hours later)
Thunder and lighting rumbled in the distance, fans edged forward in the baking heat that still bathed Arthur Ashe Court on day 13 of the 2014 US Open, and Kei Nishikori delivered them a moment to cherish: an historic victory in a four-set semi-final over Novak Djokovic. As if it were written, Kei Nishikori beat Novak Djokovic in four sets and a rumbling thunderstorm by mere minutes to reach the final of the 2014 US Open, and the No10 seed sensed that this might be his time to make a definitive statement in his sport.
Playing his expansive shots from start to finish, the Japanese player won 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in eight minutes short of three hours of the most absorbing tennis. His coach, Michael Chang, could hardly contain his joy as Nishikori became the first Asian in a slam final in the Open era. The 24-year-old Japanese player did to Djokovic in the heat of the day what Andy Murray could not do to him in the still of the night over the same distance in the quarters – so he has much to be proud of.
“It’s four o’clock in the morning at home,” he said. “I hope they are all up watching. I don’t know what’s going on. I was a little bit tight in my first semi-final in a grand slam. It’s just an amazing feeling beating the No1 player, and playing much better in these past couple of matches. It was tough, the conditions – but I guess I love to play long matches. I hope I can recover for the final.” Nishikori has not won the title yet. After beating and beasting Djokovic in just under three hours, he could not even guess who his opponent would be when he left the sweltering heat of Flushing Meadows behind him late on Saturday afternoon, heading for his hotel as heavy rain swept New York and delayed the start of the second semi-final between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic.
Not many casual or accredited experts reckoned they would be watching the 10th seed serving for the set after 35 minutes of the first semi-final; a few more might have expected Djokovic to have pulled it out of the bag – even though, bizarrely, he had dropped the first set in each of his past five semi-finals here. But Nishikori knows one thing: history is on his racket. If he takes his chances, as he has done in his past three matches – and never with more conviction than when outlasting the world No 1 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 – he can become the first Asian man in the Open era to win a grand slam title. He is already the first to reach a final, the first to reach a semi-final. This is a pleasing curve for him, and he said later: “I hope they were staying up to watch me, even though it was four o’clock in the morning.”
And nobody would have predicted the world No1 would dump a final lame backhand into the lower net and trudge to his chair resigned and plainly worried. They surely were, and in good numbers. If he wins the final, there might be a few ratings records broken in Japan.
He was breathing hard, when it should have been his Japanese opponent suffering more after surviving a far more gruelling path to the second Saturday, including back-to-back five-setters in the past few days. He revealed he did not think he would even be in the tournament after he had surgery for the removal of a cyst in August. “I only started playing points a few days ago before the tournament,” he said. “I didn’t even know if I would come to New York. I wasn’t expecting anything actually. But, after playing the first match and second match, I got more confidence on my foot and [played without pain]. I was starting to slide a little more. But my tennis was there already.”
There was little in the first set, apart from Nishikori’s break: he edged the Serb 10-8 in winners and 30 points to 28. Both served efficiently and conservatively yet it was Nishikori who looked considerably the stronger and more switched on. This was shaping as one of Djokovic’s rare down days, when his energy ebbs and flows. It could be that Andy Murray took more out of him in their four-set quarter-final on Thursday night than was immediately obvious. He claimed to have no preference for an opponent in the final, reflecting confidence that has grown since he broke into the top 10 for the first time in the summer – although he admitted he did not relish the prospect of a fifth set against Djokovic. “I believed if it went to a fifth set I didn’t think I could run. I’m very happy to finish in four sets.”
What was easier to understand than the collapse was the fightback. The late strength Murray spoke about in Djokovic now rose through his pared down body again. We have seen random dips from him before – notably in the French Open final this year – and those have invariably been followed by a gritting of teeth and beating of the chest. He might be the fresher of the finalists, too – even though getting from the fourth round to the final has demanded 14 tough sets from him. He will be the one with the quality tennis in the bank, having completed a hat-trick of wins over the fifth seed, Milos Raonic, the third seed, Stanislas Wawrinka and now Djokovic, who was so drained and desolate afterwards that he hinted this may prove to be his last match of the year.
He broke for 3-1 in the second, held for 4-1 and, after an hour, it was Nishikori who had cause to wonder about his stamina and strength. When Djokovic rushed through the second set in half an hour, the anxiety had been lobbed back in Nishikori’s direction. Would his legs hold up on this second onslaught? He has been asked many times if his marriage to Jelena Jencic after winning Wimbledon and the pending arrival of their first child had distracted him, and was firm in his protestation to the contrary. “I’m in touch with my wife. Of course I am being part of her pregnancy.
There was no lack of fight in him. Although his serve was starting to wilt, his ground strokes remained solid and he held through seven deuce points to hold for 2-1. Nishikori continued to go for the lines and, after an hour and a half, battle had properly resumed. “It’s normal. But it’s no different for me in terms of preparing for the match and for the tournament. I had all my dedication, everything directed to this US Open. I tried to give my best and I did. Now my best today was not where I wanted it to be.”
Gasp after gasp, the crowd rose to celebrate the exchanges as they passed the two-hour mark, both weary but fighting hard for every point. Nishikori served for the set at 5-3 but two double faults wiped out his exquisite ground strokes and parity was resumed. Djokovic held, just, and by the time they went to the tie-break it was impossible to pick the dominant player. However he seemed strangely uncertain in defeat, at first refusing to confirm that he would play again this year, expressing doubt about taking part in Serbia’s Davis Cup tie against India next week, then declaring he had signed for the Indian Premier League of Tennis, due to start in Dubai in December – if it starts at all.
Nishikori somehow found his serve again for 4-0 then hung on when Djokovic slapped a weary forehand long. “I don’t know,” Djokovic said of his remaining schedule. “It’s too early. I don’t know yet. Just got off the court. I don’t know.”
The first two sets took 69 minutes combined, the second 66 minutes. The odds had to be with Djokovic, whose workload getting this far had been so much lighter, but Nishikori had shown such fortitude that his opponent stepped up to serve knowing this could be grim. So Nishikori could not ask for more convincing evidence that he deserves to be in this company than reducing a great player to such public despond and confusion. The 10th seed surely will hope that his growing maturity on court, allied to kind scheduling on the second Saturday of the tournament, will sustain his challenge in Monday’s final. He played some blindingly audacious tennis off the ground, although his serve was unreliable at key moments.
Both were blowing hard. The cloudless skies laid bare an unforgiving sun. Djokovic looked to have his measure when he recovered from a close first set – the seventh semi-final in a row here when he has given his opponent the lead – to batter Nishikori for the loss of a single game in half an hour in the second. Thereafter it was a swaying struggle. However, after holding off the Serb’s charge in the tie-break from 0-4 down, Nishikori was rejuvenated in the fourth set, breaking early and staying strong to the end.
Even sitting still in the stands was draining. They were now entering tennis hell. Djokovic made no excuses – because there were none. He was the fresher coming into the match by three and a half hours, the same margin he held over Murray before seeing him off in four sets in the quarter-finals.
The Serb, chest heaving, cracked first, his third double fault of the match followed by a netted forehand gifting Nishikori first blood. And the Serb rightly pointed out that the debilitating heat and humidity were the same for both of them. “It was not easy to play in these conditions,” he said, “but also he had more hours spent on the court. So it’s no excuse.
All subtlety was draining from the contest as they belted the cover off the ball in extended baseline rallies, each hoping the other would crumble. “I expected him to be able to play another five-setter because he had two days off. He hasn’t played before this tournament, so he had a big break. He could prepare himself for this tournament. He played some great tennis. I congratulate him for the effort. He was the better player today.
Djokovic, the most redoubtable warrior, grabbed three break points in the second game but Nishikori somehow got to deuce and held. “I just wasn’t managing to go through the ball in the court. I wasn’t in the balance. There were a lot of unforced errors [35]. Even when the ball gets back to his part of the court it’s pretty short; he takes advantage of it. On the other side I didn’t.”
Djokovic hit his second double fault in 10 minutes, his right arm growing heavier by the second, but hung on. He somehow had to claw back a game against an opponent fresh to this scenario but Nishikori was full of running again, hitting his shots from deep with conviction and venom. After 20 minutes of the set, with the winning post tantalisingly close, his challenge was to protect a 3-1 lead against one of the game’s great finishers. Asked where he saw improvements in a player who a year ago was prone to regular injury and disappointment in big matches, Djokovic said: “He wasn’t using the forehand as well as he does now. His backhand is very solid, one of the best double-handed backhands from all over the court, really aggressive. He’s very quick, so he gets a lot of balls back, uses every short ball to attack. I think now he’s an all-around player.”
The Serb held to love with his 11th ace of the match. This fight was not over.
But Nishikori again raised his level in the sixth game and edged closer to the prize, Djokovic increasingly frustrated as another forehand hit the tramlines. He needed just one mistake from his opponent and he would be back in contention, but there were precious few chances on Nishikori’s serve as the set reached the half-hour.
Serving to stay in the tournament at 3-5, Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion in his third grand slam final of the year, opened with a botched backhand, compounded on the other wing, and the loud, expectant crowd sensed they were on the verge of history.
When Nishikori thrashed Djokovic’s weak second serve into empty space for two match points, the Serb’s head dropped to his chest. He saved the first – and then shoved his last forehand just beyond the baseline, and the place went crazy. Or, at least crazier than it normally is.