Novak Djokovic discusses with John McEnroe how he predicted Roger Federer’s tactics to save match points at the 2011 US Open semis

Novak Djokovic made a sensational comeback win over Roger Federer in the 2011 US Open semifinal.

Novak Djokovic discusses with John McEnroe how he predicted Roger Federer’s tactics to save match points at the 2011 US Open semis

Novak Djokovic (L), Roger Federer's serve (R) (Sources: Twitter)

Novak Djokovic has recently given a brilliant interview with John McEnroe. In a small part of it, he talked about his 2011 US Open semi-final match against Roger Federer, which is to date deemed one of the best matches in the Serb’s career. In the interview, the 24-time Grand Slam title winner explained how he correctly predicted a particular serve by Roger Federer.

In the 2011 US Open semi-final match, Roger Federer won the first two sets, and it seemed like he was going to win the match pretty easily. However, Novak Djokovic turned things around from there and went on to win the next two sets. In the fifth set, when Roger Federer was 5-3 up and Djokovic faced double match point, he correctly predicted the Swiss international’s serve and won a sensational point.

YouTube video

“I anticipated he was going to serve wide. It’s probably the first time I’m gonna say it. I don’t know why, but I felt that was his go to serve against me when in important moments. I said, OK, you know what? If he serves here, I’m going to smack him, and I’m going to be in a good position, which i did. You know how it is. One or two shots can really shift the whole momentum,” Novak Djokovic explained.  

FS Video

He went on to clinch the match against Roger Federer 6-7 (7-9), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5, making a sensational comeback. He faced defending champion Rafael Nadal in the final and ended up defeating him 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), and 6-1 as well, winning the 2011 US Open in sensational fashion.

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Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer Head-to-Head

Novak Djokovic with Roger Federer (Source: Sky Sports)
Novak Djokovic with Roger Federer (Source: Sky Sports)

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have played a total of exactly 50 matches against each other. Novak Djokovic is a tiny bit ahead of the Swiss international in head-to-head clashes. He has won 27 of their matches, while Roger Federer has won 23. Out of those matches, Novak Djokovic is 14:13 up on hard courts, 6:3 up on indoor hard courts, 3:1 up on grass courts, and they have a 4:4 draw on clay courts. 

The two have a brilliant relationship off-court as well. They are friends and always speak highly of each other in interviews. However, when they played against each other on court, their rivalry was top-notch and by far one of the best in the world. 

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