If Ben Shelton wants to reach his first Grand Slam final, and his first final on the ATP Tour at the US Open, he will have to beat Novak Djokovic. This is surely the biggest challenge of his young career.
Winner of 23 Grand Slams, Djokovic will be looking to claim his 24th title, which would allow him to equal all-time record holder Margaret Court and take even further distance from the rest of the Big 3 (Nadal has 22, Federer 20)
The Serbian’s win over Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals earned him a spot in the 47th Grand Slam semi-final of his career, moving away from the men’s record he shared with Roger Federer. It’s a record that means a lot to him, as he explained on the court after beating the American.
Novak Djokovic – US Open 2023 © Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic
There is little chance that Shelton, who is at the very start of his career at the age of 20, will manage to eliminate Djokovic, given his reputation, his performances over the past two weeks, his record this year and the fact that at 36 he continues to set incredible standards.
But considering Djokovic’s record in Grand Slam semi-finals, the task seems even more ridiculous. Goran Ivanisevic’s protege has made 46 Grand Slam semi-final appearances, winning 35 of them and losing 11. That’s remarkable. But it’s even more incredible when you realize that since the start of 2014, Djokovic has won 25 of the 27 Grand Slam semi-finals he has played in. He lost six of his first eight, before turning into a winning machine.
His only defeats over this period were against Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros in 2019 and Kei Nishikori at the US Open 2014.
Nadal and Federer also have impressive stats in the last four
Let’s put it into context by comparing him to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Nadal, second on the men’s all-time list with 22 Grand Slam titles, has appeared in 38 Grand Slam semi-finals, winning 30 of them. This is also a series of incredible numbers. But more recently, Nadal hasn’t had it easy, losing five of his last eleven Major semi-finals.
Roger Federer et Radael Nadal, Laver Cup2022 | © Ella Ling/Shutterstock/SIPA
Of Federer’s 46 semi-finals, the Swiss won 31 and lost 15, which again constitute exceptional numbers. Federer has lost two of his last six semifinals and four of his last ten. The Swiss was dominant early on though, winning 22 of his first 25 Grand Slam semi-finals.
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2023-09-07 18:09:13
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