NEW YORK:
Novak Djokovic has likened his US Open quarter-final opponent Matteo Berrettini to a “hammer” however the top-ranked Serb heads into Wednesday’s conflict with all of the instruments to dismantle the big-serving Italian and keep on the right track for a twenty first Grand Slam title.
The two gamers face off in a rematch of the Wimbledon remaining which Djokovic received to go stage with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 majors however not earlier than enduring a scare from his 25-year-old rival who possesses a blockbuster serve and forehand.
“Next to Juan Martin del Potro, he’s probably the hardest hitter of serve and forehand. He’s got the lethal-serve-plus-one game,” Djokovic, who additionally beat Berrettini within the Roland Garros quarter-finals and within the 2019 ATP Finals, stated.
“He’s already established as a top player. Without a doubt, he played… the semi-finals here couple years ago, finals in Wimbledon. That was a tough four-setter.”
A New York triumph will imply Djokovic will turn into solely the third man, and the primary since Rod Laver in 1969, to maintain all 4 majors in the identical 12 months having received the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2021.
Despite struggling to click on into gear early in a few of his matches, the relentless 34-year-old has scrapped his well past difficult opponents this 12 months and would be the agency favorite to advance however Djokovic is just not taking Berrettini flippantly.
“Look, if he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he’s tough. He’s tough on any surface to play against. I’ve had some really close matches with him in the French Open and Wimbledon recently,” Djokovic stated.
“We’re going to play the third slam in a row against each other. Hopefully the result will be the same as the previous two.”
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev has hardly been troubled at Flushing Meadows this 12 months and the German shall be in motion towards South African Lloyd Harris within the day’s different males’s quarter-final.
Among the ladies, fourth seed and former world primary Karolina Pliskova, who like Zverev can also be chasing a primary main title, meets darkish horse Maria Sakkari in a extremely anticipated match through the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
British 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, who’s amongst a handful of youngsters making their breakthrough at this 12 months’s match, will look to proceed her dream run however faces a doubtlessly daunting problem towards Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
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