Novak Djokovic fell to the ground on Sunday at the US Open in celebration of 14th Grand Slam championship crown, which tied him in third place with his idol, Pete Sampras, in the all-time major list. Incredibly, since Roger Federer’s first Wimbledon title in 2003, Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (17) and Djokovic (14) have won 51 of the past 62 Grand Slam championships, while six different players (Andy Murray – 3, Stan Wawrinka – 3, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Gaston Gaudio, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin) have won the other 11 majors.

By lifting the Wimbledon and US Open trophies in the same season, for the third time in his career – adding to his 2011 and 2015 vintages – Djokovic continued his remarkable run of form that has seen him win 22 of his past 23 matches. The Serbian, who became the first singles player to complete the Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, added another US Open crown to his resume with victory over Del Potro on Sunday evening.

It was the 50th ‘Big Title’ – Grand Slam (14), Nitto ATP Finals (5) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (31) crown – of his career (71 titles overall). The victory drew him level with Nadal, who earned his 33rd Masters 1000 trophy at the Rogers Cup (d. Tsitsipas) last month and has won 50 ‘Big Titles’ among his haul of 80. Federer has won 53 ‘Big Titles’ of his 98.

Afterwards, Djokovic admitted, “Maybe 10 years ago, I would have said that I’m not so happy to be part of this era with Nadal and Federer. Today, I really am. I feel like these guys, rivalries with these guys, matches with Federer and Nadal, have made me the player I am. They have shaped me into the player I am today. I owe it to them.”

Djokovic has won 50 ‘Big Titles’ from 169 opportunities, a conversion rate of 3.4. Nadal has a strike-rate of 3.5 from 174 tournaments, while 37-year-old Federer has won a ‘Big Title’ every 4.1 chances (53/219).

The 31-year-old Djokovic, who has compiled a 40-10 record on the season, will join Nadal and Federer at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Buy Your London 2018 Tickets

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.

Be bold enough to walk into the lion’s den.

Novak Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final of the US Open Sunday by attacking – not avoiding – the Argentine’s fearsome forehand.

Djokovic won 111 points for the match, with almost half of them (53) coming from a Del Potro forehand error. Del Potro did hit 16 forehand winners, but the net result of -37 was what the Serbian was constantly mining.

This kind of tactic is actually predicated on Del Potro hitting just enough forehand winners that he keeps swinging for his trademark knock-out blows. But Djokovic was playing a numbers game, constantly moving Del Potro side to side to the edges of the court to apply enough pressure with time and court position to extract a steady stream of forehand errors.

Absorb the punches. Trust the percentages.

Del Potro ran 3525 metres for the match (Djokovic 3679m), for an average on 21.1 metres per point. A lot of that was being initially moved to the Ad court to spar backhand to backhand, and then be pulled wide in the Deuce court to hit a tricky forehand on the run.

Djokovic did hit 13 forehand winners of his own, while yielding only 21 forehand errors in the process. The average rally length per point for the match was a bruising 6.2 shots, with Djokovic winning 49.6 per cent (66/133) of his baseline points, and Del Potro winning 41.8 per cent (64/153).

Djokovic’s game is evolving once again, with the typical label of “aggressive baseliner” no longer doing justice to his superb “all-court” game. Djokovic came to the net a substantial 37 times (Del Potro 17) in the final, winning 28 (75.6%) of those points. The Serbian was constantly looking to use depth as his primary weapon to elicit a short ball, and then use direction, spin and power to the Del Potro’s backhand to force a difficult passing shot.

Djokovic came at Del Potro so many different ways. Djokovic hit 13 forehand winners, three backhand winners, seven volley winners, seven overhead winners, two approach winners and two drop shot winners.

It was the Swiss Army knife of strategies.

Djokovic’s game is stunningly complete in every which way you can imagine. He even served and volleyed twice in the final to provide a different look, winning one of those points.

Watch Tribute To Djokovic After He Completed The Big Titles Sweep

Another layer of confusion of what was coming next centred on Djokovic’s first serve location. In the Deuce court he served 20 times out wide and 19 down the T. In the Ad court, he served wide 13 times, 12 at the body, and seven down the T.

There was simply no chance Del Potro was going to win the guessing game of serve location.

The Argentine really struggled to find free points, only collecting six aces, with Djokovic missing just 18 of 88 returns for the match. The Serbian was especially rock solid returning in the Ad court, making 13 of 14 forehand returns and 19 of 21 backhand returns.

If there was a winning percentage to be mined anywhere on the court, that’s exactly where you would find the Super Serbian.

In many ways, this match was not about Djokovic at all. It was more far more important for him to hit the ball where Del Potro didn’t want it rather than trying to win with his own favourite patterns.

Mike Bryan and Jack Sock concluded the third quarter of the 2018 ATP World Tour season in familiar fashion, replicating their end to the previous quarter with a Grand Slam title.

Having lifted their maiden Grand Slam doubles title as a team at Wimbledon, Mike Bryan, due to the continued absence of injured brother Bob Bryan, and Jack Sock continued their partnership to great effect. The American duo scored their second Grand Slam title as a team, a record-breaking 18th men’s doubles crown for Mike Bryan, cruising past seventh seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Bryan and Sock won just one of three matches in their two tour-level events post-Wimbledon, but once again produced their best tennis in Grand Slam play to lift their second straight major trophy. Kubot and Melo also entered Flushing Meadows in poor form, having won only one match in four tour-level events after a second-round exit at Wimbledon. But the Polish-Brazilian duo worked their way into form in New York, winning three of five matches in deciding sets before falling to Bryan and Sock in their second Grand Slam final as a team.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares enjoyed success in America, winning two titles at the Citi Open and the Western & Southern Open. The British-Brazilian pairing, who compiled an 11-2 record in the third quarter of the season, reached the quarter-finals in New York before a straight-sets loss to Radu Albot and Malek Jaziri.

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who lost to Murray and Soares in the Cincinnati final, also backed up a strong week in Ohio by reaching the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows. The Colombians lost a tight three-set semi-final to Bryan and Sock.

Despite a second-round loss at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, Henri Kontinen and John Peers can be pleased with their efforts in North America. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals titlists lifted their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy of the season at the Rogers Cup, beating in-form partnership Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus in the championship match.

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos also impressed, winning back-to-back clay-court titles in Bastad and Hamburg. The South American duo survived four Match Tie-breaks in as many matches to lift the trophy in Hamburg, denying Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic a fifth title of the season. Marach and Pavic, who remain atop the ATP Doubles Race To London standings, also reached the Rogers Cup semi-finals in Toronto.

ATP Doubles Race To London Top Five

View Full ATP Doubles Race To London

No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro, +2
The popular Argentinean is next in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November, after reaching the US Open final for the second time (also 2009). Read More & Watch Highlights

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Del Potro rose two spots to third place in the ATP Race To London by beating the likes of John Isner and Rafael Nadal, prior to the final against Novak Djokovic. Del Potro has a 43-11 record on the season, which includes two titles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (d. Anderson) and his first at ATP World Tour Masters 1000-level at the BNP Paribas Open (d. Federer).

Del Potro is attempting to qualify for the fifth time overall – and first time since 2013 – and join Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer at the season finale.

View Latest ATP Race To London

No. 2 Novak Djokovic, +1
Djokovic captured his 14th Grand Slam championship crown (tied third with Pete Sampras in the all-time list), and is now just three titles from second-placed Nadal (17), with his third US Open trophy. The 31-year-old, who was in 15th place in the ATP Race To London on 2 July, is now up to second and 1,035 points behind Nadal (7,480), ensuring a potential battle royale for the 2018 year-end No. 1 honour.

No. 12 David Goffin, +5
The Belgian jumped five places to 12th in the battle for a spot at the season finale, following a run to the US Open fourth round (l. to Cilic). Last year’s runner-up in London (l. to Dimitrov) went 9-3 on the North American hard-court swing.

No. 15 Milos Raonic, +4
The Canadian, a qualifier at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2014 and 2016, continued his return to top form by advancing to the fourth round in the Big Apple, beating Stan Wawrinka in the third round before falling to John Isner. He moved up four spots to 15th.

No. 16 Borna Coric, +4
The 21-year-old Croatian improved to 29-15 on the season after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship for the first time, losing to Del Potro.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 28 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +5
No. 30 John Millman, +16
No. 35 Philipp Kohlschreiber, +9
No. 46 Joao Sousa, +21

Less than one month ago, the Italian city of Genoa endured a horrific tragedy. The iconic Ponte Morandi bridge partially collapsed following a torrential rainstorm. As vehicles fell into the Polcevera River, 43 people lost their lives.

While sports may seem inconsequential in the face of such devastation, they can serve as an important outlet for those to combat grief. Three weeks later, as the city continues to mourn and rebuild, the 15th edition of the AON Open Challenger provided a moment of inspiration.

More than 2,000 fans packed the Center Court at the Valletta Cambiaso. And it wasn’t just for the final. Every day of the week, the stadium was filled to capacity for the evening matches. People flocked to the tennis centre after a long day’s work to catch a glimpse of world-class ATP Challenger Tour action on display.

On Sunday, it all culminated with home hope Lorenzo Sonego’s triumph. The Turin native, born just two hours north of Genoa, defeated 2013 champion Dustin Brown 6-2, 6-1 for the title. It was his second Challenger crown, having also prevailed at home in Ortisei last year.

“It has been really incredible,” Sonego told ATPWorldTour.com following the final. “The public here are very warm and I really thank them for the support during the week. It is a great emotion to be surrounded by such a supportive public. The tournament is very well organized and the location incredibly beautiful. 

“I was feeling very well from the very beginning of the tournament. I knew that I could have reached an important result, but today I exceeded my expectation with a perfect match against a strong opponent.”

Lorenzo Sonego is Top 100 bound and has a shiny new ? to show for it.

The ?? is the champion in Genova @challengergenoa, d. Dustin Brown 62 61 pic.twitter.com/36KS6QCSb4

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 9, 2018

Not only did Sonego claim the title at the prestigious €127,000 event, but the 23-year-old also broke into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings with his victory. One of two Italians to crack the Top 100 this year (also Berrettini), he ascends to a career-high No. 90 on Monday. 

The breakthrough comes less than two weeks after Sonego won his US Open debut. Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, he would defeat Gilles Muller for the first five-set win of his young career.

“To enter the Top 100 is a great emotion for me, but my main goal is to continue in my growth, without setting any limits,” Sonego added. “That victory in New York gave me a big confidence and the awareness of my potential has been a great help in Genoa.”

It is not the first time the AON Open Challenger has provided tennis as a source of comfort in the face of tragedy. In 2016, the tournament donated all proceeds to victims of a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy.

“The organizing committee of the Aon Open Challenger, endorsed by all the public institutions, has offered its support to the city,” the tournament announced in an official statement earlier in the week. “We have shown that we, as a city, are strong and that we won’t be stopped by such a tragedy. The bridge collapse has terribly affected our city, but everybody is reacting strongly: both common people and companies in the city have organised many initiatives to support the families and the displaced people.”

Records are more often than not about which names are etched into the trophy at the end of the day. In that regard, Juan Martin Del Potro knows his title run at Flushing Meadows in 2009 stands tall at this point in his career.

Tears flowed upon losing his shot at adding his name to a Grand Slam trophy nine years after his first on Sunday. But this was not a 29-year-old bitter he had fallen short to a friend, Novak Djokovic.

The pain of defeat stung, sure, but the emotions were as much a culmination of a tough stint since that maiden US Open title all those years ago. Many times, Del Potro did not think he would ever play again, let alone reach another Grand Slam final.

His 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 defeat to the Serbian was not the fairytale outcome he had imagined. It was a contest not without its chances.

One game alone in the second set lasted 20 minutes. Djokovic survived that one, fending off break points in the process to steel himself for a two-set lead.

“To be honest, I was crying till now,” Del Potro said as he began his post-match press conference. “I’m very sad for being a loser today. But Novak deserved to take the trophy. He played a great match, a very smart game. I had my opportunities during the second and third set.

“But I was playing almost at the limit all the time, looking for winners with my forehands, backhands, and I couldn’t make it because Novak was there every time. He’s a great champion. So I’m glad for him.”

The “what-ifs” will always swirl around talk of Del Potro’s place in the sport. When he defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer back-to-back to claim the 2009 US Open he was just 20 years old. He was earmarked as the next big force, the man alongside Djokovic to rattle the two great champions he had just felled to break through.

Wrist injuries robbed the Argentine of years when he should have been entering the prime of his career. If it was not time spent out of the sport rehabilitating his problematic wrists, it was the constant breaks in momentum these sideline stints created upon each comeback to the ATP World Tour. 

This is the healthiest and fittest Del Potro has felt in years. And able to build momentum once more, the results have showed in 2018. The Argentine is now next in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals after Nadal, Djokovic and Federer.

“I’m feeling good. My wrist is responding good, because I’ve been playing a lot of matches in these two weeks,” Del Potro said. “I feel good with my two-handed backhands, as well. I will keep playing tennis for a few more years.

“I don’t know when will be my last tournament in this career, but I’m excited to keep surprising myself doing things like this. I’m very motivated to keep trying to win these titles.”

Djokovic’s fourth US Open trophy means that he, Nadal and Federer have now won 50 of the past 60 majors. Del Potro would not rue how many of those could have been his had he been injury-free all those years.

It was futile now. The Argentine looked at it more as an honour to have shared a court with three of the greatest players of all time.

“Of course, it is a big challenge to take these kind of tournaments to them,” he said. “But also I think we are proud to be close to these legends. I’ve been during all my career learning with Novak, Roger, Rafa, seeing them winning these events very often.

“It’s amazing. I don’t feel sad that I couldn’t win Grand Slams because of them. I am just one of the guys that have been lucky to be in the same era as them, and it’s great.”

Did You Know?
Juan Martin Del Potro played just four matches in 2015 and after another round of wrist surgery, was ranked No. 1042 in the ATP Rankings when he returned in February 2016.