Novak Djokovic Outlasts Alexander Zverev in 5-Set Thriller to Reach U.S. Open Final

No. 1 Novak Djokovic is heading back to the U.S. Open final and his quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam remains alive after defeating No. 4 Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. 

A tightly-contested battle between two of the top players in the world didn't begin to heat up until a 53-shot rally in the third set brought both the crowd and the two competitors to life. It was the longest rally of the entire tournament and saw Zverev stay alive on double set point. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Djokovic captured the set on the next point. 

Zverev would gain the upper-hand in the fourth set, going up 3-1 before fighting off Djokovic to win 6-4 and set up a decisive fifth only to melt down with 11 unforced errors over the final eight games.

Djokovic will now face No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday after his victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, earlier Friday. 

"These are the moments we live for," Djokovic said in his on-court interview Friday. "These are the kind of unique opportunities we dream of every day when we wake up and try to find motivation to go out and do the same things over and over again."

Over three hours and 38 minutes, he continued to prove just how much he'd earned it. Noting that he often trains with Zverev in Europe, the Serbian explained he already knew how even the match was before it started. 

Considering Zverev had taken three of nine career matchups from Djokovic entering Friday, that much was clear. Zverev ousted Djokovic in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics a little over a month ago. Now it was Djokovic's turn for revenge. 

It didn't come easily.

Djokovic won 141 total points to Zverev's 133. Both covered more than 7,300 meters of distance and both won at least 75 percent of their first serves. The difference was exhaustion. More specifically, which player would face it first.

It proved to be Zverev, but not until the fifth set. Not until he had battled with the No. 1 player in the world to the brink. Now Djokovic is just three sets away from adding to an already iconic legacy with a calendar Grand Slam.

"I'm going to put my heart and soul and body into that one," Djokovic said of the U.S. Open final. "I'm going to treat the next match like it's the last match of my career."