US Open 2011 Results: Novak Djokovic's Chances Improving with Every Win

How serious was the shoulder injury that caused Novak Djokovic to retire from his match against Andy Murray in the finals in Cincinnati?

The answer to that will vary from person to person. I don't doubt that it was serious, but the shoulder doesn't seem to be bothering him now.

Djokovic encountered some good fortune when Conor Niland retired in the second set of their opening round match.

Djokovic won the first set 6-0 and was up 5-1 in the second. The win was not exactly in question, but it would have been extra strain to Djokovic if he had to finish the second set and then win the third. It may have only been seven or eight more games, but that's still extra rest that Djokovic got.

He hasn't dropped a set at the US Open.

Alexandr Dolgopolov pushed him to a 16-14 first set tiebreaker in the fourth round, but Djokovic won that and then won the following two 6-4, 6-2.

It sounds simplistic to say that his chances are improving with every win. That's obvious; they're certainly not going to improve with a loss.

But at this point, he's rolling his opponents over.

When Djokovic is challenged, he responds and comes back stronger than before.  That doesn't exactly point to a shoulder that's still bothering him.

Next up for Djokovic is No. 20 JankoTipsarevic in the quarterfinal. After that comes a showdown against the winner of the Roger Federer vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Either match will bring a lot of hype. At Wimbledon, Djokovic defeated Tsonga 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-7 (11-9), 6-3. Djokovic also defeated Federer 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-4 at the Australian Open, but Federer returned the favor with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) win at the French Open. All three matches were in the semifinals.

Djokovic can complete one of the best seasons in the history of the sport with a win at the US Open. It’s already very close, but a third major would pretty much seal it.

Every win that goes by not only disposes of an opponent, but also erases whatever element of doubt that there was in his game.