US Open 2018: With recharged batteries, comeback kings Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro to fight for glory

On a hot Friday evening in New York City, Novak Djokovic played it cool. He started the US Open this year with a tiring four-set win — that needed an ice-bath after the third set — over talented Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But in the semi-final, he didn’t need the interval provided by the heat-policy.

The sixth seed had the luck of the draw, playing just one seeded player, 26th seed Richard Gasquet till the semi-final. Then he met a spirited and seemingly rejuvenated Kei Nishikori who has the ability to pull off big wins. Both players had missed playing at the event last year due to injuries, Nishikori with his wrist and Djokovic with the elbow issue. The Japanese has, in recent weeks, started to find his groove. But Djokovic was already there.

A Wimbledon title from this year, won when least expected, now sits in the Serb’s illustrious trophy cabinet. And when it came time to compete for a spot in the final of the very next Slam, at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic was calm, composed, and dominant in the 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Nishikori.

Since winning the 2016 French Open, the Serb had dropped off the radar as he struggled to win a single Major in two years. But has now won 13 Grand Slam matches in a row.

“There was always part of me that believed I could come back relatively quickly to the level of tennis that I once was playing,” says the World No 6 after his semi-final win. “But at the same time, I felt like the six months off served me very well to find new motivation, inspiration, to recharge my batteries.”

Batteries recharged, Djokovic will now compete for the US Open title again. In Sunday’s final, he will take on third seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who is on his own path of career revival.

“He’s a gentle giant,” Djokovic said of the Argentine. “He’s very tall, has a big game, but at the same time he nurtures the right values in life. He cares about his family, his friends. He treats others the way he wants others to treat him. That’s why people love him. We all felt his struggles with injuries that kept him away from the tour for two, three years. But he was always a top five player in the eyes, I think, of everyone.”

Djokovic has a 14-4 win-loss record over Del Potro and has won six of their last seven meetings. While the Serb has found his mojo again, he was also quick to acknowledge that the ever-popular Del Potro is playing “the tennis of his life.”

In his six matches at the US Open this year, two-time champion Djokovic has dropped only two sets, one each in the first two rounds. Since then, he’s settled well into conditions and played his shots in a way that exhibits his desire to get back to the World No 1 spot he occupied in 2016, just before the downfall began.

On Sunday, when he walks out onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium he is the favourite to level Pete Sampras’ tally of 14-Grand Slams. For that though, he’ll have to get past the powerful Del Potro.

A few hours before Djokovic stormed through Nishikori, Del Potro created a record for himself.

In his 7-6(3), 6-2 retd. semi-final win over top seed Rafael Nadal, the 29-year-old had beaten a player ranked no 1 for the 10th time, making it the most wins by a player to never hold that top ranking against a World No 1. That record will matter little to the towering Argentine. For his journey to only his second Grand Slam final has been nine years in the making.

Back in 2009, Del Potro beat Nadal in the semi-final, and then upset Federer to win the US Open title. It was a win that promised a bright future for the then 20-year-old had a series of injuries not marred his career.

It took Del Potro four wrist surgeries, an almost entirely skipped 2015 season, and his rank falling down to 1045 before he could make a more lasting comeback. He picked up the pieces of his shattered wrist and started to rebuild his career with the hunger of a player trying to make up for lost time.

He pulled off a surprise win over Djokovic en-route to a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016, before helping Argentina win their first Davis Cup title later that year. By 2018, Del Potro, who had developed an effective one-handed backhand slice to avoid strain on his wrist, captures his first ever ATP Masters by beating Federer in the final at Indian Wells. Now he’s got a chance of winning another Slam.

“I cannot believe that I will have a chance to play another Grand Slam final here, which is my favourite tournament," he said. “I’ve been fighting with many, many problems to get in this moment. I’m here now.

“It will be a difficult match because we are close friends. Novak has won Wimbledon already. He’s playing so good. He will be the favourite to win on Sunday. But I don’t know. When I played Roger nine years ago, he was the favourite to win as well. I will try to make the surprise again.”

The title will mean different things for the two players. For Djokovic, confirmation that he is well and truly back in the big league. For Del Potro, a chance to finally put away his career ghosts of ‘what might have been.’