Novak Djokovic hopes to "mess up the plans of most people" on Friday, when he faces Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open semi-final. The expectation is that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be fight in the final, as they did in the last two Grand Slams, Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Between the two, they've won the last seven majors in men's singles tennis.
"We know that they are the two best players in the world. Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the finals between the two of them. I'm going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people" Djokovic said after beating Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals (extending a 11-0 record against the American). With the win, Djokovic, despite his age, 38, and some inconsistency in other tournaments, proves that he is rationing his strengths for the majors: he has reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams this year.
"Sinner still has to win a couple of matches to get to the final. But they are playing the best tennis of any players here. They have been the dominant force since the beginning of the tournament. But I definitely am not going with a white flag on the court. I don't think anybody does really when they play them, but particularly not me.
"I put myself in another semi-final of a Grand Slam this year. I have been very consistent, most consistent on Slams this season and that's what I said at the beginning of the year, where I would like to perform my best tennis and make the best results. Here we are. I have another chance, another shot", said the Serbian, who leads Alcaraz 5-3 in head to head, including 3-0 on hard courts. However, Alcaraz is arguably at his best ever level, winning 35 out of the last 36 games... except for the Wimbledon final, losing to Sinner.