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Djokovic to play for Grand Slam against Medvedev in US Open final

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Novak Djokovic reached the brink of completing the first men’s singles calendar-year Grand Slam since 1969 on Friday (Sept 10) by defeating Tokyo Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in the US Open semi-finals.

Top-ranked Djokovic ousted the German fourth seed 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to reach Sunday’s championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Russian second seed Daniil Medvedev.

“There’s only one more match left. All in. Let’s do it,” Djokovic said. “I’m going to put my heart and my soul and my body and my head into that one.”

He will be the oldest US Open finalist since Andre Agassi at 35 in 2005 and could be the oldest US Open champion since Ken Rosewall at 35 in 1970 should he win. By beating Zverev to reach the brink of the Slam, he has also matched Roger Federer’s all-time record of 31 men’s Slam final appearances. Djokovic is 20-10 in Major finals.

Second-ranked Medvedev advanced to the final by defeating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. The 2019 US Open runner-up reached his third Grand Slam final by eliminating 12th seed Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.

Djokovic, 34, needs one more win to record the first calendar-year Slam since Rod Laver did it 52 years ago

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The Serb is also seeking his fourth career US Open title and his 21st overall Slam crown, which would lift him one above the record 20 he shares with Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are both absent with injuries.

-AFP

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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