They say a sequel is seldom as good as the original, but Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are doing their best to dispel that notion.

A rivalry that has gotten stronger with every passing battle, the Serbian and the Swiss are set to clash for the seventh time in a Grand Slam setting in Sunday’s US Open final. Djokovic owns their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 19-4, but the World No. 1’s sizeable lead is no reflection on the high intensity and drama that has consumed their encounters in recent years.

“I haven’t played Stan in some time now,” said Djokovic. “But he’s a big match player. He loves to play on the big stage against big players, because that’s when he elevates his level of performance in his game. He gets much better.”

“To play Novak, the No. 1 player, is always really challenging,” Wawrinka said. “But we’ve had some big matches together, especially in Grand Slams… Some amazing matches, for sure. The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game. He’s the No. 1 player, an amazing fighter and an amazing player. Mentally, he’s a beast. It’s not easy to play him. I’m sure he’s going to bring his best tennis for the final.”

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Glance At The Finalists

To say that Djokovic and Wawrinka bring out the best in each other’s games on the biggest stages would be an understatement. Four of their past five major meetings have gone the distance, with the lone exception being the 2015 Roland Garros final, where Wawrinka exhibited a stunning shotmaking display to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires and dramatically deny Djokovic the career Grand Slam.

But it was two years prior, when Djokovic and Wawrinka took the court in a Round of 16 meeting at the 2013 Australian Open that the rivalry truly blossomed. An intense, high-octane battle from first ball to match point, Djokovic would prevail 12-10 in the fifth set after five hours. Wawrinka punctuated the fourth set with a forehand down the line after an outrageous rally and broke to open the decider, but Djokovic would draw level and eventually cap a 20-shot exchange with a backhand pass on his third match point.

Mutual admiration for the heroic performance was on display as both competitors collapsed into each other’s arms at the net. But that was just the beginning. Later that year, Wawrinka would reach his first major semi-final at the US Open and once again he and Djokovic would tangle for five riveting sets, with the Serbian eventually emerging.

“I think the matchup has always been interesting to see because the way we are playing,” Wawrinka added. “I’m trying to be aggressive. I can play really hard. He is an amazing defender. And also, [look back at] where we started. We started with a five-set match in Australia a few years ago. It was 12-10. I was maybe one of the only players who started to dominate in the first two sets and didn’t finish it. I was dominating the match.

“And then if you look, I played my first semi-final in a Grand Slam against him here that year and again it went five sets. So for sure the fact that we played some long matches and some crazy battles makes it something different.”

Grand Slam Finals (Open Era)

Djokovic reeled off a pair of straight-set victories at the BNP Paribas Masters and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals to conclude the 2013 season, but his surge of momentum would be short-lived. They once again squared off at the Australian Open, this time in the 2014 quarter-finals, and Wawrinka would announce his arrival. The Swiss stunned the Serbian 9-7 in the fifth set, en route to his first Grand Slam title. For Wawrinka, it was the moment that launched him from Top 20 threat to big title contender and catapulted the rivalry to seismic proportions.

“He’s such a powerful player,” Djokovic said to the assembled media following his semi-final victory over Gael Monfils on Friday. “He has a big serve and probably the best, most effective one-handed backhand in the world now. He can play it all. He has that variety in his game. He can be very dangerous for everybody.”

Djokovic exacted revenge on Wawrinka at Melbourne Park in 2015, prevailing 6-0 in the fifth set in the semi-finals, before succumbing in the Roland Garros championship. The World No. 1 would have the last word with wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati and Paris. That was their last encounter and both are eager to renew the rivalry on Sunday in New York

“When you play Novak, the No. 1 player in the final of Grand Slam, it’s the biggest challenge you can have,” Wawrinka said. “I think it’s going to give me confidence to tell myself that I know I can do it, because I did it at the French Open final. He knows that I can play my best tennis in the final of Grand Slam. But it’s going to be a completely different match.

“I have enough confidence in myself that when I play my best level, I can beat him.”

Entering with a perfect 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals, Wawrinka is seeking his 15th title at the tour-level. The 31 year old is looking to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win two or more major singles crowns after turning 30, joining Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors.

Meanwhile, Djokovic is appearing in his 21st Grand Slam final, passing Rafael Nadal for solo second place on the Open Era list. He is vying for a 13th title, which would put him one behind Nadal and Pete Sampras. The top seed is well aware of what’s at stake.

“The last couple of matches [Wawrinka] is getting in the shape that is winning him big matches. I lost to him in the final of the French Open and I lost to him in quarter-finals of the Australian Open when he won, as well.

“So both of these Grand Slams he won against me on the way. I know right now he believes in himself more. He doesn’t get too stressed by the bigger occasion… I want to be able to put myself in position to fight for the trophy. My thoughts are on Sunday’s match.”

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are hitting their stride at the perfect time, streaking to the US Open doubles crown on Saturday at Flushing Meadows. The fourth seeds downed Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes, firing 27 winners, while converting four of five break chances.

The duo are now nipping at the heels of Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut for No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, moving to withing 300 points of the top spot with the title. Earlier in the tournament, Murray and Soares qualified for their first Barclays ATP World Tour Finals as a team.

Murray and Soares claimed their own slices of history on Saturday, with the Brit becoming the first from his country to win the US Open doubles title since Roger Taylor in 1972 and the Brazilian becoming the first ever from the South American nation to lift the trophy.

Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez surged out of the gates, breaking in the first game. But the Spaniards’ lead would not hold. Two straight breaks for Murray and Soares would swing momentum for good. After capturing the opener 6-2, a Murray volley winner gave them a decisive 2-0 lead in the second set, as the 30 year old lunged to cut off a Carreno Busta forehand at the net. Seven games later, they emerged with the trophy, as Soares sealed the title with a volley winner of his own.

The Australian Open champions earned their second Grand Slam title and third of the year at the tour-level, having opened their partnership with a victory on the hard courts of Sydney in January. Runner-up in New York last year with John Peers, Murray improved to 2-2 in major finals, while Soares moved to 2-1. They became the first team to win multiple Grand Slam titles in a season since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won three in 2013.

Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez, meanwhile, were the first unseeded team to reach the US Open doubles final since Lleyton Hewitt and Max Mirnyi lifted the trophy in 2000. Carreno Busta was appearing in his fourth tour-level doubles final, seeking a second title, while Garcia-Lopez was appearing in his ninth final. He won his third ATP World Tour doubles title two weeks ago at the Winston-Salem Open, with Henri Kontinen.

Lopez/Lopez Punch Tickets To London
Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez have qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 13-20 November. Lopez/Lopez, who reached the semi-finals at the US Open, join Murray and Soares, as well as Herbert/Mahut and Bryan/Bryan at the season finale. The Roland Garros champions qualified when Murray and Soares won the title in New York on Saturday, per the Grand Slam Champions rule.

Lopez/Lopez are currently No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London. In addition to their title run on the clay of Roland Garros, they lifted the trophy in Doha at the start of the season. The Spanish tandem also reached the final at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Dubai in February.

In the sixth and final part of a special series of interviews with Roger Federer in Switzerland, the 35 year old discusses his burgeoning love for the game.

Federer reveals that it is this passion that makes him more determined and hungry to return to the ATP World Tour, as he looks forward to resuming his career at the start of the 2017 season.

There are competitive tennis players, and then there’s Novak Djokovic.

During his semi-final match on Friday at the US Open, Djokovic was leading Gael Monfils two sets to love. But the top seed had just lost three consecutive break points. So upset was Djokovic that he ripped his shirt.

“These things happen,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll see a thrown racquet here and there, a ripped shirt. It’s all in the heat of the battle.”

Djokovic would go on to beat Monfils 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to his seventh US Open final. But when he ripped his shirt, the match didn’t look so promising.

Monfils was serving at 5-3 in the third set and had momentum. The Frenchman had fallen behind 0/40 but climbed back to deuce. After he won the deuce point to gain the advantage, Djokovic, furious about the missed chances, ripped away.

“I can’t blame Uniqlo for that shirt,” he said of his clothing sponsor. “The quality is very good, by the way.”

The Serbian ripped his shirt a little and then tore away at the Uniqlo polo, exposing his chest to the humid air in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I did rip it once, and then the second time just got out of hand,” he said. “But, you know, it felt nice, because my body could breathe a little bit more.”

Djokovic, a two-time US Open champion (2011, 2015), will face Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final. It will mark the third time the two have met in Flushing Meadows. Djokovic won both prior meetings in New York and leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 19-4. But the third-seeded Wawrinka won their only previous meeting in a Grand Slam tournament final, 2015 Roland Garros.

So whatever happened to Djokovic’s shirt? Did it land in the garbage?

“I guess so,” he said. “I haven’t seen it ever since.”