The Last Time... with Roger Federer ?

Is life really that different for five-time reigning Wimbledon champion Roger Federer? He sends text messages to his friends (granted, that includes Tiger), has to skip dinner (admittedly with Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller) due to work commitments and sometimes he can't get court time when he wants it.

DEUCE Magazine questioned the ATP World No. 1 during the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati about being Roger Federer. So, when was the last time...

I hired a tennis court?
Probably in Switzerland somewhere. I always call and say 'is it okay if I play' and sometimes it happens they say 'the court is taken at this time.' So I had to come at a different time. But I don't have to pay there anymore. Generally we struggle in Switzerland to get free practice courts but they gave me a special arrangement.

I played a match that no-one watched?
For a tournament match you'd probably have to go back to the juniors. It was only a practice set, but when I played Pete Sampras [at his house, before the Pacific Life Open in March] there were probably only three people watching.

I had to show my credential badge at a tournament?
It happens all the time because they want to scan your badge. They go after plastic, not faces.

I had a really unusual fan request?
I had a guy write to me asking for $10 million. He had some sort of story but it didn't make a lot of sense.

I changed the home page on my computer?
When we launched rogerfederer.com - of course!

I went somewhere and wasn't recognized?
I'm not sure about that one. It's been a while.

I played a competitive sport other than tennis?
Honestly, I'm very careful these days to avoid injury. I stopped playing soccer matches. I don't ski anymore. I try to save my energy.

I broke a string?
During practice in Dubai. In a match? It hasn't happened very often. I think it may have happened once last year when I hit the knot, but I can't remember at which tournament.

I visited a country for the first time?
India last year in December for UNICEF.

I played a practical joke in the locker room?
Basically everyday with everybody. In Cincinnati we had a fight in the locker room with Dmitry Tursunov. There were probably six people involved, including three or four players, throwing about 50 balls at each other for 15 minutes. I won! [Editor's note: Towards the end of the fight, the Penn ball mascot chose the wrong time to return to the locker room and was mercilessly pummeled.]

I asked someone for their autograph?
Probably Tiger for a friend of mine and Thierry Henry for a friend. That was this year.

I exchanged a text message with Tiger?
After he won the PGA Championships. I had style. I just wrote 'congratulations' and a little bit more. But it didn't have anything to do with 11 to 13 or anything.

I missed meeting a celebrity I wanted to meet?
Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller during Wimbledon. [Vogue editor-in-chief] Anna Wintour invited us over. But I said "Can't do it. Gotta stay in Wimbledon and stay serious." So I didn't go.

I flew economy?
[Long pause] Yeah, it's been a few years now.

Serbia's Djokovic dumps Australia out of top Davis Cup group

Novak Djokovic beat Chris Guccione in straight sets here on Sunday to give Serbia a 3-1 lead and dump Australia into Davis Cup wilderness for only the second time in their proud history.

Spurred on by a rowdy home crowd of 20,000 in the massive Beogradska Arena, US Open finalist and world No. 3 Djokovic overcame the stubborn Guccione 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) in two hours and 59 minutes.

The world No. 94 put up a fight in the second and third sets but failed to rescue Australia after being called up in place of their best player, former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who was bed-ridden with a bout of gastroenteritis.

The lanky left-hander eventually caved in to Djokovic, whose third victory in the best-of-five match tie banished Australia from the elite stages of the prestigious competition.

The win before the third-largest crowd in the Davis Cup's 108-year history also promotes Serbia to the competition's World Group for the first time since 1991, when Australia trashed then Yugoslavia 5-0.

In a re-match of January's ATP final in Adelaide, won by Djokovic, the 22-year-old Aussie made a nervy start, immediately losing his opening service game.

But after breaking back for 3-3, Guccione was broken again in the eighth game when a fired-up Djokovic raised his game with a flurry of powerful groundstrokes and soft touches.

The 20-year-old Serb sensation served out the following game to seal the first set in 40 minutes, causing the partisan home supporters to erupt into rapturous applause.

Guccione, who had only won one of his four previous Davis Cup encounters on clay, immediately lost his serve again in the opening game of the second set as Djokovic continued to dictate play.

He fought again back, however, and the pair traded service games until they reached a tie-break, where Djokovic unleashed an ace and fierce forehand pass before sealing it 7-3 in a set that took 70 minutes.

In the third set, Guccione fended off the first match point by rifling down two aces in the 10th game, before they went into another tie-break.

Djokovic fought back from 5-2 points down to seal the match and promotion 7-5 in the tie-breaker, before he was carried around the court on the shoulders of his teammates to chants of "Nole, Nole, Nole."

On the tie's opening day, Djokovic had breezed past Peter Luczak in straight sets before Hewitt staged a typical fightback to beat Janko Tipsarevic in a five-set thriller.

Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic had themselves fought back from a set down in Saturday's doubles rubber against Hewitt and Paul Hanley before they sealed a 2-1 advantage going in to Sunday's reverse singles.

In Sunday's dead rubber, world No. 53 Tipsarevic is scheduled to face Luczak, the 91st-ranked Australian.

Djokovic inspires Serbs to lead over Aussies

Serbia took a 2-1 lead in a crucial Davis Cup World Group playoff against Australia here on Saturday when Novak Djokovic inspired his partner to victory in a pulsating doubles clash.

Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic overcame a shaky start before a noisy 20,000 home fans in Beogradska Arena to defeat Lleyton Hewitt and Paul Hanley 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 52 minutes.

The Serbs are now hot favourites to go through to the elite stages of the cup for the first time since the collapse of Yugoslavia, and at the same time dump Australia into relegation for only the second time in their history.

US lead:
In Gothenburg, Sweden, the Bryan twins gave the United States a 2-1 lead when they beat Swedish doubles specialists Simon Aspelin and Jonas Bjorkman 7-6 (13/11), 6-2, 6-3 in their Davis Cup semi-final here on Saturday.

Mike and Bob Bryan extended their impressive Davis Cup doubles win-loss record to 12-1 to give the USA the upper hand in its bid to reach the Davis Cup final in December against either Russia or Germany.

Russian battle:
In Paris, defending champions Russia are battling for their Davis Cup survival as they trail Germany 2-1 going into Sunday's final day of their World Group semi-final in Moscow.

In Gothenburg, the United States moved closer to the final as the Bryan twins gave them a 2-1 lead over Sweden in the doubles.

Favourites Russia were reeling when their veteran doubles pairing of Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny fell 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) to Germany's scratch combination of Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Waske. And to add insult to injury Waske was nursing an elbow injury.

Djokovic puts Serbs ahead

The opening singles rubber at this truly electric Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group play-off tie has given Serbia, a fresh powerhouse in world tennis, a 1-0 lead over 28-time former champion Australia as Novak Djokovic overcame young Peter Luczak61 64 62.

In a rousing atmosphere to be envied by any sporting competition, Djokovic took the first set in 35 minutes, only dropping one point on his serve. As the Serb’s long string of winners and aces kept pressure on the young Australian, he held his own as much as he could despite his erring backhands and recurring double-faults. The scoreline may read like an easy take for Djokovic but Luczak stretched him where he could and denied him four breakpoints in what seemed like an interminable third game.

But keeping up with the never-ending arsenal of forehands and backhands fired by the Serbian tennis sensation, not to mention his game-closing, perfectly timed aces, proved too much for the nervous Luczak who eventually conceded the set 61. The Australian admitted later that Djokovic’s serve was key today. “He came up with some big serves when I had him under pressure,” he said after the match.
Luczak improves in second set

The second set on the other hand could not have been more different, except for that third game which again turned out to be the longest. This time, though, Luczak did not drop his serve and held on to it with all his power until the ninth game, chasing every ball, coming in to the net and putting away a string of winners. Djokovic had no apparent problems winning his own serve but Luczak gave him no chance to steal points from him, putting up an inspired and commendable fight against the world’s third ranked player. Djokovic admitted later that he was “more nervous than in the US Open final playing in front of this crowd” and that this may have turned the tables in the Australian’s favour at this stage. But at 4-4 something seemed to go missing and Luczak’s concentration slipped sharply, as he missed an easy forehand to fall behind 4-5 and then lose the set 6-4.

The inspiration that kept Luczak going in the second set unfortunately did not last much longer. He had two break points in the second game of the third set but a combination of Djokovic’s mastery of aces and his own forehand errors meant that he was never able to present a real threat to the fired-up Djokovic. He did however test everyone’s nerves in the sixth game when Djokovic’s mistakes created four openings to break the Serb. But Djokovic showed us all how and why he has neared the top of the world rankings in such a short time, fighting off the break points by forcing Luczak to err and launching two consecutive aces to put himself ahead 4-2. He then proceeded to steer the crowd into raucous applause to fire himself up to break Luczak again, though only doing so on his third opportunity. A couple of crosscourt winners later and victory was his 61 64 62.
Djokovic received a huge welcome

After a truly spectacular entry into the modern and fully packed Beogradska Arena ahead of the match where the adoring crowds gave Djokovic a long standing ovation, the home support was evident throughout, brightened also by the presence of Serbia’s president Boris Tadic and several other politicians and sport celebrities. From brass and drum bands to the loud cheer of fifty children from Kosovo that Djokovic’s family is hosting this weekend, the show in the stands was complete, directed at times by Djokovic’s father himself. And the adored sensation did not let anyone down, admitting that “it was a special feeling playing in front of this crowd. Davis Cup is such a completely different competition, it is not like an individual tournament” and so winning the opening rubber meant that “things were going according to script so far.”

A lot will depend now on Lleyton Hewitt’s performance against Janko Tipsarevic and much hangs in the balance still. The two players have met twice before with the honours split. Though Hewitt seemed confident yesterday that Tipsarevic only really has the home court advantage on his side, he will have to stay strong and block out not only the pressure of coming from 0-1 down in tie but the deafening support of the crowds and the low-bouncing clay court not necessarily suited to his game.

Novak Djokovic turns eye on Davis Cup tie with Australia

BARELY subdued by Roger Federer in a torrid US Open final, Novak Djokovic yesterday turned his attention to Australia's Davis Cup team.

Frustrated at squandering a string of opportunities at Flushing Meadows, the Serb plans to regroup immediately ahead of next week's Cup playoff in Belgrade.

"After 15, 20 years, we (Serbia) get a chance to get to the world group," world No. 3 Djokovic said.

"We are playing home against Australia, which we all know how good Australia is in the Davis Cup, how good is their history.

"Of course, Lleyton (Hewitt) is coming, which is going to make our victory or way of thinking more difficult.

"I'm really happy that tennis fans back in our country will have an opportunity to see me and rest of the guys, and Hewitt playing."

Hewitt, Chris Guccione, Peter Luczak, Paul Hanley Alun Jones and junior Greg Jones will fly to Belgrade today for the sell-out tie on indoor clay.

Should Australia lose, it will drop out of the world group for only the second time.

Hewitt will share singles duties with Guccione and claycourt specialist, Luczak.

He will almost certainly team with Hanley in doubles.

Alun Jones's excellent US Open effort against Spain's Rafael Nadal has seen him earn a belated call-up.

French Open junior finalist Jones, 17, is viewed as a future Cup contributor and will be used as a practice partner.

Australian captain John Fitzgerald yesterday said the 28-time champion will enter the tie as the underdog.

"We accept that they (Serbia) start favourites, but some of the greatest performances in Australian Davis Cup have come when have had our backs to the wall," Fitzgerald said.

"For Alun and Greg, it is recognition of their strong performances on the circuit.

"Alun put up a strong performance against Nadal at the US Open and Greg has had a stellar year on the junior tour.

"Lleyton has proven his fighting qualities time and time again.

"As to who plays singles and doubles, we will evaluate all of that in the next week or so."

Serbian captain Dejan Petrovic, a former South Australian, will monitor Janko Tipsarevic's injured ribs.

Djokovic said Tipsarevic continued to battle the problem with his ribs.

Djokovic returns to Serbia after reaching U.S. Open final

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — U.S. Open finalist Novak Djokovic was greeted by hundreds of fans and Serbia's prime minister on his return from New York on Tuesday.

The welcome party was held at Belgrade's airport with Djokovic, currently No. 3 in the ATP rankings, pledging to work on overtaking second-ranked Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer saved seven set points Sunday in a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Djokovic for his fourth straight U.S. Open championship and 12th Grand Slam title.

"In New York I played against mentally the best player in the world," Djokovic said.

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that the recent successes of Djokovic and Serbian women Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic "managed to make Serbia a world tennis power."

Djokovic will lead Serbia in the Davis Cup's World Group playoffs against Australia from Sept. 21-23 in Belgrade.

"I'm tired, but I'm still in a good form," Djokovic said.

Roger Federer Beats Djokovic, Wins 4th Straight U.S. Open Title

Sept. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Top-seeded Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, the first two in tiebreakers, to capture his fourth consecutive U.S. Open title.

Federer overcame Djokovic 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 at the National Tennis Center in New York for his 12th career Grand Slam title, two short of Pete Sampras's all-time record.

The 20-year-old Djokovic, appearing in the final of a major for the first time, was unable to convert seven set points over the first two sets. Federer won the title on his second match point.

Federer, 26, is the first man to win four straight U.S. Open titles since professional players were admitted to the tournament in 1968, the start of the Open Era. Bill Tilden won the event six years in a row from 1920-25.

Novak Djokovic advanced to the Men's Final after defeating David Ferrer !!!

As he has charged toward the top of the rankings this year, Novak Djokovic has said he wants to turn the twosome that rules men’s tennis — Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — into a threesome that includes him. By winning his United States Open semifinal yesterday, Djokovic finally has a chance to make that happen.

Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over David Ferrer of Spain. He advanced to today’s final, in which he will face the winner of the semifinal between the top-seeded Federer and No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko.

“It’s going to be an amazing experience in my first Grand Slam final, with a packed house,” Djokovic said. “It’s amazing for me, and it’s amazing for my country. I am so proud.”

For Djokovic, a 20-year-old Serb who has rocketed to No. 3 in the world this year, this was another huge step. He becomes the first Serbian man in a Grand Slam final. He has reached the semifinals in the past two Grand Slam events, the French Open and Wimbledon, losing to Rafael Nadal both times. But yesterday, he faced the player who knocked out Nadal in the fourth round.

The things that Ferrer did so well to frustrate Nadal did not work against Djokovic, who used a combination of a big serve and flat, punishing ground strokes to keep Ferrer from using his speed to control the match. Against Nadal, Ferrer ran furiously to keep his opponent’s best shots in play, then became aggressive when he could get a leg up in a point. But even the quick Ferrer could not reach many of Djokovic’s best shots.

They played on the hottest afternoon of the tournament, and it seemed to take more of a toll on Djokovic, who complained to trainers of a headache and began wearing a cap midway through the match. The temperature reached the high 80s, but it was far hotter on the court.

Djokovic started slowly in the first set, badly losing his first service game and spraying errors everywhere to dig himself a 4-1 hole before he got into the flow of the match. From there, though, Djokovic began to impose his game on Ferrer.

Djokovic stormed through the rest of that set, winning three straight games at love while painting the lines with forceful ground strokes that even the speedy Ferrer could not track down. To close out the set, Djokovic won 20 of the final 23 points.

He started the second by breaking Ferrer and began frustrating him with a series of audacious drop shots. Ferrer reached a few of them, only to have Djokovic beat him with the next shot. When he put one return into the net, Ferrer threw his racket in frustration. He also kicked the match clock and stopped it at 50 minutes until workers could fix it.

Ferrer got some life in the second set, breaking Djokovic and winning a service game at love to send him on a fist-pumping surge while Djokovic seemed to be succumbing to the heat. But Djokovic broke back in the next game and finished the set energetically.

Djokovic vs. The Field - Preview

Well, tournament is in semifinal stage and there are only two matches left for future champion of US Open.

In the first semifinal Djokovic will meet with Ferrer. Probably it wouldn't be an easy match for Djokovic as Ferrer has decent performances lately, but at the end Novak's quality should prevail. This is third straight GS semifinal for Djokovic and it's time to finally take his chances in final.

In second match , 'King' will play against Davydenko who is the only player who didn't lost set yet at US Open. I'm afraid he will lose all three against Federer. Last year at US Open they've also meet in semis and Federer won as well as previous 8 matches , so all is pretty clear , Federer should win this encounter.

Possible and very probable final is Djokovic against Federer. Djokovic improved much this season and I don't see any week part of his play. His serve is almost unbreakable with big percent of successful first serve, backhand is great , foot work one of the best in whole ATP tour. Djokovic also improved his volley and play from the base line. So, certainly player who deserve respect.

Federer is a defending champion of the US Open, moreover he won this tournament three times in a row. But Djokovic was to young then and I think he will be a real challenge to ATP No1 player. H2H Federer leads 4:1. Djokovic rising started this season in Dubai when he took his first set against Federer, rising continue in Montreal when Djokovic won against Federer in final and took his second Masters title , US Open should be cherry on the top.

Seriously, I believe Djokovic has at least 40 % chances to beat Federer and win US Open. IMO Novak perform better than Federer on hard surface. My money will be on first GS title for young Serbian and my pick is Novak Djokovic to win US Open. (5.60 @ Pinnacle).

Federer, Djokovic on collision course in New York?

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - The men's semifinals will be staged Saturday at the U.S. Open, where top-seeded and three-time defending champion Roger Federer will take on fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko and third- seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic will tangle with 15th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer. Three of the top-four seeds are still standing at this hardcourt fortnight.

The world No. 1 Federer is a seemingly unstoppable 9-0 lifetime against Davydenko, including a victory in this year's French Open semis. The super Swiss also topped the gritty Russian in last year's U.S. Open semifinals and is 3-0 versus Davydenko in Grand Slam action.

The 26-year-old Federer has already reached a record nine straight Grand Slam finals, going 7-2, and owns 11 major titles, including the last two Aussie Opens and the last five Wimbledon championships. His two major finals losses came at the hands of Rafael Nadal at the French Open over the last two seasons.

Federer is 26-0 at the U.S. Open since reaching the top of the ATP rankings in 2004.

The 26-year-old Davydenko will compete in his fourth major semi, and has yet to win one (0-3).

The 20-year-old Djokovic and 25-year-old Ferrer will square off in the other final four bout at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Djokovic, who will perform in his third straight Grand Slam semi this year, is 1-2 lifetime against Ferrer, including a 1-1 split this season. Djokovic won their lone meeting on a hardcourt at Indian Wells earlier this year.

The 25-year-old Ferrer, who stunned the second-seeded and reigning three-time French Open champion Nadal here on Tuesday night, will appear in his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal.

Djokovic is the only remaining player here to have ever beaten the amazing Federer, which he did at a Masters Series finale in Montreal last month.

Saturday's winners will square off in Sunday's lucrative final, with the champion taking home at least $1.4 million and a new Lexus automobile.

Djokovic ready to stake claim to Federer's throne

NEW YORK (AFP) — Novak Djokovic is ready to take his place as the next great challenger to Roger Federer's tennis throne, but the Serbian knows he still needs a breakthrough US Open semi-final victory to make his case.

Djokovic will play in his third consecutive Grand Slam semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday against Spanish 15th seed David Ferrer with the winner to face Federer or Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko in Sunday's final.

"It's normal he still thinks I cannot be the biggest threat to him because I didn't get to the finals of a Grand Slam. But I'm slowly getting to that experience," Djokovic said.

Third seed Djokovic lost to Spain's Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon and French Open semi-finals and is 1-2 against Ferrer, winning on hardcourt but losing twice on clay. Even so, Djokovic and Federer will still be favored to advance.

"I cannot say I expected to do so well and be number three in the world after seven or eight months this year, but I've been working hard and the work is paying off," Djokovic said.

Federer, in his record 188th consecutive week atop the rankings, seeks his fourth US Open title in a row and 12th Grand Slam crown overall as he chases the all-time record 14 Slams won by Pete Sampras.

Federer has a 9-0 career record against Davydenko, including a US Open semi-final victory last year and a French Open semi-final triumph in June. But the superb Swiss shotmaker still regards the Russian as a threat.

"He's a fabulous player," Federer said. "Even though I have a fabulous record against him, I'm aware of his ability. Looking forward to a tough match. He's a great player."

Thus far, world number two Nadal has been Federer's chief foe. Nadal beat Federer in the French Open final and pushed the Swiss star in an epic five-set Wimbledon final.

But Djokovic is looking to kick down the door and join the rivalry. Some say he is already there.

"If there's one player who can be compared to Rafa and Roger, it's him," said Spain's Carlos Moya, who lost to Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

"He has been playing solid every week. Playing three Grand Slam semi-finals in one year is not easy. And he could go farther in this tournament.

"I think he's already there. He has a lot of potential. He can still improve. I think he can be No.1 in the world."

Federer is still the man to beat. In addition to his career sweep over Davydenko, he has a 7-0 career mark against Ferrer and is 4-1 against Djokovic, the loss coming in the Serb's astonishing run to the Montreal title last month.

Djokovic, 20, defeated Federer, 26, in the final after ousting Nadal and third-ranked Andy Roddick, becoming the first man since Boris Becker at Stockholm in 1994 to sweep the world's top three in the same event.

"Since I managed to win against him, even if it was a tight match, I believe more," Djokovic said. "I'm really looking forward to the next challenge, the next match against him.

"I have more confidence and I think I have enough ability to challenge the best players in the world and be one of the favorites to win this tournament."

Ferrer has beaten Djokovic this year in the round of 16 at Monte Carlo and in the same round at Bucharest in 2004 but dropped their only hardcourt match at an Indian Wells quarter-final in March.

"I'm going to be the favorite against Ferrer but he won against Nadal. It's going to be a difficult match," Djokovic said. "I think everything is open and anything can happen."

Ferrer knows that all-too well.

"Djokovic is unbelievable player, very young and he plays really well," Ferrer said. "He can move to No. 1 in the world in five or six years. He serves well. He has a very good backhand, forehand. He does it all."

Ferrer has stunned himself with such a deep Slam run on hardcourts, rescuing a match point against David Nalbandian and then ousting Nadal, but said he is playing the best tennis of his life.

"I'm playing really well in hardcourt and it's unbelievable," he said. "On hardcourt it's more difficult. It's not the surface I prefer. If you told me before semi-final in hardcourt, I never believe you.

"But this tournament is a dream, no?"

Djokovic and Ferrer in uncharted territory

Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Spaniard David Ferrer rolled into the U.S. Open semi-finals for the first time in their careers with dominating last-eight victories on Thursday.

Third seed Djokovic reached his third grand slam semi-final of the year with a 6-4 7-6 6-1 victory over Spain's Carlos Moya, and now faces Ferrer for a place in Sunday's final.

Ferrer, the 15th seed who accounted for compatriot Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, achieved his best result in a major with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 triumph over Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.

In Saturday's other semi-final, world number one and three-times champion Roger Federer will battle fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, who has yet to lose a set.

The women's semi-finals take centre stage on Friday at Flushing Meadows.

Top-ranked Justine Henin faces two-times champion Venus Williams, while 2004 winner and fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova squares off against Russian compatriot and sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze.

Djokovic was just 11 years old when the 31-year-old Moya won his lone major at the French Open in 1998.

In the crucial second set tiebreaker, the 20-year-old Djokovic survived a set-point to win 9-7 and take control of the two-hour, 18-minute quarter-final on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I knew that Carlos is a very good player, a competitor, a former number one," said Djokovic. "He has a lot of experience on the big matches on the big courts.

"He had a great tournament but luckily I played my best tennis and had more luck in the second-set tiebreak. In the third set, I played really well."

INSPIRED DJOKOVIC

Moya was broken in the opening game of the final set and again in the fifth and seventh games against an inspired Djokovic. He double-faulted at match point.

"I was beat down mentally," admitted Moya, who had nine third-set errors compared to just one by Djokovic. "Having the chance to be (one) set all would have been much different I guess.

"Being two sets down, he is not as tight maybe as he was and he played much better. And I played a bit worse."

Ferrer, who stunned French Open champion Nadal in the last 16, beat 20th seed Chela in just over two hours to become only the fourth Spaniard to make the last four at the U.S. Open in the open era.

"Maybe the last three matches is the best tennis (of my career)," said the 25-year-old Ferrer.

"I'm playing really very well on hard courts and it's unbelievable. If you had told me before that I would get to a semi-final on hard courts, I would not have believed you. I believe in clay, maybe, but not in hard court.

"This tournament is a dream."

Chela was appearing in his first U.S. Open quarter-final and despite the setback, the 28-year-old said he was pleased with his efforts.

"It's maybe a little bit difficult to think about it now because I've just lost, but it's been a good tournament," he said.

Djokovic, last man to beat Federer, gets to first U.S. Open semifinal

NEW YORK (AP) — When the tennis was done, the fun began.

As hilarious after his U.S. Open quarter-final victory as he was good during it Thursday night, Novak Djokovic stayed on court and treated an appreciative audience to his spot-on impersonations of Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal.

It was a scene most likely never before seen at a Grand Slam tennis tournament - or any sporting event of any significance, for that matter. First, Djokovic did Sharapova, hopping behind the baseline the way she does, bouncing the ball the way she does, pretending to tuck strands of hair behind his ears, and capping it off by doing a perfect rendering of the two-time major champion's serve.

Next, Djokovic did his take on Nadal, sprinting the way he does, even yanking at the back of his shorts the way the three-time French Open champ does.

The act, prompted by USA Network's post-match reporter, was the most entertaining portion of Thursday's activity in Arthur Ashe Stadium - and showed, without a shadow of a doubt, that Djokovic is poised to become tennis' next star. He already is a hit on YouTube, where his imitations of fellow pros are posted.

The No. 3-seeded Djokovic's game is quite impressive, too, as he demonstrated in reaching a third consecutive Grand Slam semifinal by beating No. 17 Carlos Moya 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

"I'm really happy that the people accept it in a positive way. I'm not trying to make fun of Maria or Rafa or anybody else," Djokovic said. "Just trying to make the people laugh and have a good time, you know, trying to enjoy the tennis on the court and off the court as well."

Moya caught some of the post-match show.

"It's funny. He does it very well. That's a gift," Moya said. "If he doesn't succeed in tennis, he has a career in that."

Djokovic's pre-serve routine requires attention, too. When he faced a set point in the tiebreaker, for example, he kept dribbling the ball, 28 times in all.

Eventually, he tossed the ball overhead - and hit a fault. Before his second serve, Djokovic cut his total to 13 bounces, hit a 113 mph offering, and won the point.

"This is just a matter of concentration. I'm trying to really focus and not irritate anybody. Sorry if I'm a bit annoying," Djokovic said. "The thing is, I want to stay longer on this court, so that's why I'm bouncing more and more."

Unlike at the French Open, where he lost to No. 2 Nadal, and at Wimbledon, where he stopped because of an injury while losing to Nadal, Djokovic will finally face a different foe.

In Saturday's semifinals, he'll meet No. 15 David Ferrer - who just happens to be the man who ran Nadal ragged in the Open's fourth round. Ferrer reached his first major semifinal by beating No. 20 Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 Thursday.

Top-ranked Roger Federer is in his record 14th Grand Slam semifinal in a row and plays No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko on Saturday. Federer is 9-0 against Davydenko, and hasn't fared too poorly against the semifinalists on the other side of the draw - he's 7-0 against Ferrer, 4-1 against Djokovic.

Djokovic's one victory over Federer came in their most recent meeting, in the final of a hard-court tournament in Montreal last month. It was at that event that Djokovic became the first man since 1994 to defeat men ranked Nos. 1-3 at the same tournament.

That counted as Djokovic's breakthrough moment. It also gave him four titles in 2007, and his 57 match wins through Thursday rank second only to Nadal.

Federer took Thursday off, skipping practice and resting, a day after improving to 14-1 against 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick by beating him in straight sets.

Venus Williams, though, was out on the practice courts in the late afternoon, preparing for her semifinal Friday against No. 1 Justine Henin. After eliminating Serena Williams in her previous match, Henin will try to become only the second woman to beat both sisters at the same Grand Slam tournament.

The other women's semifinal is 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze.

There was an all around more subdued vibe in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday, a sort of hangover effect following up on Wednesday's electric atmosphere for the Federer-Roddick and Venus Williams-Jelena Jankovic matches.

It didn't help that Djokovic and Moya were hardly at their best, combining for only 16 winners and 30 unforced errors in the first set.

Djokovic, though, was just better enough throughout. In the tiebreaker, he erased Moya's set point, and then converted his second, bouncing the ball 23 times before hitting a 123 mph serve that set up a forehand winner.

Djokovic broke to start the third set, and that was pretty much that against Moya, a former No. 1 who won the 1998 French Open.

"If there's one player who can be compared to Rafa and Roger it's him," Moya said. "He can still improve, but he has a lot of potential to be No. 1 in the world."

Djokovic is still only 20 - and he has a keen sense of what his sport needs to attract more fans.

"They're looking for a good tennis player and a player with a lot of emotions and a lot of temperament and personality," the Serb said. "I'm really happy that the people are looking at me in that way and are talking positive things about me."