Andy Murray has blasted straight as he had probably never jump straight on. He played with fire and desire and its repatented mixture of brilliance and self-criticism, you crush in the leg with his racket during a particularly exaggerated and oath and reprove himself more than once.
But there has rarely been a champion of tennis better able to absorb the rhythm and the ambition to tackle Novak Djokovic, in particular, on a hard court.
By the end of bittersweet, this time stronger and brighter U.S. Open quarter-finals had become much more muted with Murray clearly in pain and Djokovic clearly in the lead, the outcome for granted.
The only other time they had met in Arthur Ashe Stadium, in the final of 2012, Murray won his first Grand Slam title after giving himself a hard look and a pep talk in the mirror dressing room before the fifth and last September
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RELATED COVERAGE
Tenth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan after his victory quarters on No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion.US Open 2014: Kei Nishikori survives Stan Wawrinka in five SetsSEPT. 3, 2014
But this time, no matter how deep once appeared this game would stretch into the night, their tussle baseline has not gone away. And the No. 1-seeded Djokovic's gritty, convincing 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4 victory put him in his eighth consecutive US Open semifinals, where he will face Kei Nishikori of Japan.
Andy Murray, left, with Djokovic after the match. "We both gave our best," said Djokovic. Credit Barton Silverman / The New York Times
Midsummer Djokovic, spouses collapse looks well and truly over.
"I was aiming to play my best tennis in the US Open, and I knew that going to happen," said Djokovic, who has married his longtime girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, in the month of July. "I mean, I was thinking that's going to happen, and I'm really glad that I'm in another semi-final here. Duro draws some difficult players I've played against. Course, as the tournament progresses, I'm trying to gather as much confidence that I can. Winning against Andy in a Grand Slam is definitely a confidence booster, and I hope to use it for the next game. "
Nishikori, the 10th seed, will play his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Stan Wawrinka, the reigning Australian Open, in five sets, long before Wednesday night. It 'was a remarkable performance achieved by a super-talented 24 year old who could very well have done up to this point much earlier if not for a series of injuries, both major and minor.
There were more this season, including a cyst on his foot that limited his game that brings out.
"I think it was a little 'uncertain at first, but had three great games to start," said Michael Chang, former French Open champion, who is now his manager. "I told him before this tournament started: get through those first two games and anything can happen. The last two games are a good proof of that."
In the last two games, Nishikori has beaten two members of the top five in five sets: beyond the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in a match that began Monday night and ended Tuesday at 02:26
The team Nishikori said he did not go to bed until close to 6 am, but was able to recover and find the strength to upset the third-seeded Wawrinka. Now comes what appears to be the biggest challenge of all: the No. 1 Djokovic, who beat match in a best-of-three-sets to Basel in 2011, but never in a set-match best-of-five in one Grand Slam tournament.
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The good news for Nishikori is that he will have two days off. "It was kind of nice for us to sit back and look to fight it out for a while, '" Chang said of Murray and Djokovic.
Even if the match lasted 3 hours 32 minutes and did not finish until 01:16, this was not a classic for the Big 4 restricted. There was no suspense, the length and consistent quality, but it has its reflections in the first three sets: a lot of rallies of 20 shots or more, a lot of phenomenal defense, acute angles and clutch serves and returns extended.
"We both gave our best," said Djokovic. "Sometimes the court was not nice. Did a lot of unforced errors, but this is due to the very physical battle that we had in the first two and a half sets. Did not expect less before the game."
There were still surprises, especially the sting rare in the straight of Murray. Two-handed backhand in the Scotsman has long been his teacher, but he was determined to take bigger risks than usual, flattening his forehand on a regular basis and hit 20 winners, most of them cross.
He also regularly forced Djokovic - the most flexible of the defenders - in errors in the stretch. But Murray could not sustain its brilliance over the halfway point of the third set, and while the first required set 73 minutes and second sets just an hour, the last two sets slipped away from comparative Murray in a hurry.
"Physically, he was better than me at the end," said Murray.
Murray movement was clearly hampered in the fourth set, and its speed of service also dropped significantly with its first service often unable to break the barrier of 100 mph.
Although Murray has called for a trainer while trailing, 3-4, in the final set and applied a heat pack to the back of the passage, he said that was not injured.
"I stiff in my hips and back towards the end of the third set," said Murray. "I do not know exactly why. E 'was definitely chilly, but it certainly was not hurt. I did not hurt anyone. Believe it was just tired."
Murray added: "I tried to hang on as best I could in the September 4 But it became cooler than me. Whether it was or not, I do not know. Perhaps it does a better job of hiding it from me."
It does this without doubt a better job of hiding his hopes and fears, even if Djokovic is not the reincarnation of impassive Bjorn Borg. But then you play someone who so closely resembles in style and skill can be an unsettling experience.
"We both go through a lot of emotions, sometimes when you play well, when you encourage yourself when you're positive," said Djokovic. "Sometimes you're a little 'negative about how you're doing, how you feel. But it's all a process of the battle on the field and what you are going through. It' important to manage this emotion, and everyone is different, of course, in the way we handle it. "
Murray, long a player's temperament, suppressed much of his fury against his imperfections when it was coached by Ivan Lendl in recent years. But he is back in close to full entry under his new coach Amélie Mauresmo and after being broken early in the second set, he shouted: "Absolutely destroyed. Dumbass. "
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Another comment was not suitable for printing on a family newspaper.
Born one week apart, Djokovic and Murray have known each other since they were kids, before playing in a junior tournament in France at age 13 They once played doubles together in the early years of the tour and practiced together before the tournament despite their obvious rivalry, Djokovic now leads, 13-8.
After her victory at Wimbledon in 2013, Murray seemed set to challenge Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for supremacy in the men's game. Instead, he struggled with back pain and underwent what he called "minor back surgery" at the end of last year.
But his ranking and its consistency have slipped in 2014, and came to Flushing Meadows seeded eighth and had to fight through cramping body in its first-round victory over top-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
Yet it has gathered strength and momentum, looking particularly sharp in defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the fourth round, Murray's first victory over a top 10 opponent this season.
Djokovic has been more of a challenge, though.
But there has rarely been a champion of tennis better able to absorb the rhythm and the ambition to tackle Novak Djokovic, in particular, on a hard court.
By the end of bittersweet, this time stronger and brighter U.S. Open quarter-finals had become much more muted with Murray clearly in pain and Djokovic clearly in the lead, the outcome for granted.
The only other time they had met in Arthur Ashe Stadium, in the final of 2012, Murray won his first Grand Slam title after giving himself a hard look and a pep talk in the mirror dressing room before the fifth and last September
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Tenth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan after his victory quarters on No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion.US Open 2014: Kei Nishikori survives Stan Wawrinka in five SetsSEPT. 3, 2014
But this time, no matter how deep once appeared this game would stretch into the night, their tussle baseline has not gone away. And the No. 1-seeded Djokovic's gritty, convincing 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4 victory put him in his eighth consecutive US Open semifinals, where he will face Kei Nishikori of Japan.
Andy Murray, left, with Djokovic after the match. "We both gave our best," said Djokovic. Credit Barton Silverman / The New York Times
Midsummer Djokovic, spouses collapse looks well and truly over.
"I was aiming to play my best tennis in the US Open, and I knew that going to happen," said Djokovic, who has married his longtime girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, in the month of July. "I mean, I was thinking that's going to happen, and I'm really glad that I'm in another semi-final here. Duro draws some difficult players I've played against. Course, as the tournament progresses, I'm trying to gather as much confidence that I can. Winning against Andy in a Grand Slam is definitely a confidence booster, and I hope to use it for the next game. "
Nishikori, the 10th seed, will play his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating Stan Wawrinka, the reigning Australian Open, in five sets, long before Wednesday night. It 'was a remarkable performance achieved by a super-talented 24 year old who could very well have done up to this point much earlier if not for a series of injuries, both major and minor.
There were more this season, including a cyst on his foot that limited his game that brings out.
"I think it was a little 'uncertain at first, but had three great games to start," said Michael Chang, former French Open champion, who is now his manager. "I told him before this tournament started: get through those first two games and anything can happen. The last two games are a good proof of that."
In the last two games, Nishikori has beaten two members of the top five in five sets: beyond the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in a match that began Monday night and ended Tuesday at 02:26
The team Nishikori said he did not go to bed until close to 6 am, but was able to recover and find the strength to upset the third-seeded Wawrinka. Now comes what appears to be the biggest challenge of all: the No. 1 Djokovic, who beat match in a best-of-three-sets to Basel in 2011, but never in a set-match best-of-five in one Grand Slam tournament.
Continue reading the main story
The good news for Nishikori is that he will have two days off. "It was kind of nice for us to sit back and look to fight it out for a while, '" Chang said of Murray and Djokovic.
Even if the match lasted 3 hours 32 minutes and did not finish until 01:16, this was not a classic for the Big 4 restricted. There was no suspense, the length and consistent quality, but it has its reflections in the first three sets: a lot of rallies of 20 shots or more, a lot of phenomenal defense, acute angles and clutch serves and returns extended.
"We both gave our best," said Djokovic. "Sometimes the court was not nice. Did a lot of unforced errors, but this is due to the very physical battle that we had in the first two and a half sets. Did not expect less before the game."
There were still surprises, especially the sting rare in the straight of Murray. Two-handed backhand in the Scotsman has long been his teacher, but he was determined to take bigger risks than usual, flattening his forehand on a regular basis and hit 20 winners, most of them cross.
He also regularly forced Djokovic - the most flexible of the defenders - in errors in the stretch. But Murray could not sustain its brilliance over the halfway point of the third set, and while the first required set 73 minutes and second sets just an hour, the last two sets slipped away from comparative Murray in a hurry.
"Physically, he was better than me at the end," said Murray.
Murray movement was clearly hampered in the fourth set, and its speed of service also dropped significantly with its first service often unable to break the barrier of 100 mph.
Although Murray has called for a trainer while trailing, 3-4, in the final set and applied a heat pack to the back of the passage, he said that was not injured.
"I stiff in my hips and back towards the end of the third set," said Murray. "I do not know exactly why. E 'was definitely chilly, but it certainly was not hurt. I did not hurt anyone. Believe it was just tired."
Murray added: "I tried to hang on as best I could in the September 4 But it became cooler than me. Whether it was or not, I do not know. Perhaps it does a better job of hiding it from me."
It does this without doubt a better job of hiding his hopes and fears, even if Djokovic is not the reincarnation of impassive Bjorn Borg. But then you play someone who so closely resembles in style and skill can be an unsettling experience.
"We both go through a lot of emotions, sometimes when you play well, when you encourage yourself when you're positive," said Djokovic. "Sometimes you're a little 'negative about how you're doing, how you feel. But it's all a process of the battle on the field and what you are going through. It' important to manage this emotion, and everyone is different, of course, in the way we handle it. "
Murray, long a player's temperament, suppressed much of his fury against his imperfections when it was coached by Ivan Lendl in recent years. But he is back in close to full entry under his new coach Amélie Mauresmo and after being broken early in the second set, he shouted: "Absolutely destroyed. Dumbass. "
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Another comment was not suitable for printing on a family newspaper.
Born one week apart, Djokovic and Murray have known each other since they were kids, before playing in a junior tournament in France at age 13 They once played doubles together in the early years of the tour and practiced together before the tournament despite their obvious rivalry, Djokovic now leads, 13-8.
After her victory at Wimbledon in 2013, Murray seemed set to challenge Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for supremacy in the men's game. Instead, he struggled with back pain and underwent what he called "minor back surgery" at the end of last year.
But his ranking and its consistency have slipped in 2014, and came to Flushing Meadows seeded eighth and had to fight through cramping body in its first-round victory over top-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
Yet it has gathered strength and momentum, looking particularly sharp in defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the fourth round, Murray's first victory over a top 10 opponent this season.
Djokovic has been more of a challenge, though.
