Juan Martin del Potro rued not being able to take the chances that fell his way in Sunday's US Open final but was full of admiration for the quality of champion Novak Djokovic's play.
Top three seeds Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray moved into the third round of the Cincinnati Open with relatively comfortable straight set victories on Wednesday.
Roger Federer handed Nick Kyrgios a 6-4 6-1 7-5 tennis masterclass by storming into the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday with a ruthless display that left the Australian talking to himself and waving the white flag.
Djokovic, the ninth seed, was originally scheduled to play Australian Open semi-finalist Chung Hyeon but the 22-year-old South Korean withdrew with a back injury about an hour before the match was due to start.
It is the first time the final match of the season will decide who is ranked number one.
Jannik Sinner's stupendous year may have been clouded by an anti-doping controversy but on the court he is finishing the season like an express train and has won 25 of his last 26 matches.
Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal retired from his semi-final against Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro on Friday with right knee issues. The world number one was trailing 7-6(3), 6-2 when he decided to call it a night.
Federer begins the pursuit of a record eighth Wimbledon title and a record 85th match win at the grass court major; Djokovic hoping to curb dismal slide
Certainly the prospect of another showdown at the US Open in a few weeks is exciting, but whether or not 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic can stretch his career long enough to battle Carlos Alcaraz on a regular basis is questionable.
A dominant Rafael Nadal arrived at one career milestone on Thursday but the speed of the Spaniard's rampage through the early rounds of the French Open suggests his eyes are fixed firmly on another more significant one.
The US Open reached an emotional climax on Sunday as the year's final grand slam paused amid heavy security before the start of the men's singles to remember those who died in the 9/11 attacks 15 years ago.
IMAGES from Day 7 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the Wimbledon Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Friday.
Claycourt master Rafael Nadal quickly adapted to his new surroundings at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 demolition of German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the first round of the French Open on Monday.
The Australian Open draw has opened up a potential can of worms for security organisers at Melbourne Park, with rival Serb and Croatian supporters to be thrown into close proximity for Novak Djokovic's second round match against Croatia's Ivan Dodig.
The Serb set up the breakaway PTPA on the eve of the US Open in September and resigned as head of the player council but last month he confirmed that he had been nominated by his fellow professionals for the current elections which he accepted.
Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to ease past Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Friday and set up a mouth-watering clash against long-time adversary Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final. Djokovic plotted a similar path to the Spanish clay-court king when the Serb lost the first set against Japan's Kei Nishikori before recovering to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 and seal an open-era record 51st career meeting against Nadal.
Novak Djokovic handed Kei Nishikori a brutal lesson in hardcourt tennis as the Serb began his bid for a record fourth successive title at the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-1, 6-1 win on Sunday.
Rafa Nadal avoided a similar fate to beaten World No 1 Novak Djokovic when he dismissed French young gun Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 to claim a place in the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as ATP world number one
A win for Djokovic would move him past Pete Sampras (14) to outright third on the list of Grand Slam title winners.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka won a battle of former girls' champions at the Australian Open by easing past Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday to advance to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Six-time champion Roger Federer survived a late-night Swiss semi-final thriller against Stanislas Wawrinka on Saturday to set up an ATP World Tour Finals showdown against Novak Djokovic.
Nadal committed 30 unforced errors to Schwartzman's 17 and had his serve broken five times.
Fourth seed Rafael Nadal showed he is healthy and ready to challenge for a third US Open title as he rolled into the last 16 at Flushing Meadows on Friday with a fist-pumping 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.
Novak Djokovic felt he was a different player to the Wimbledon winner of old but comparisons were inevitable on Wednesday as the Serb rolled into the semi-finals for the first time since 2015.
A long year has taken its toll on some of the world's best tennis players but the relentless Novak Djokovic gives no indication that he is about to slacken the pace as he heads to the season-ending ATP World Tour finals in London.
Nick Kyrgios has invigorated the Championship and men's tennis generally with firecracker personality
'Just six months ago, you would've been labelled mad for even suggesting the possibility of Djokovic relinquishing the top spot in men's tennis.'
The Australian brought his extraordinary brand of improvised tennis theatre to the world's greatest tennis stage
Rafael Nadal overcame a temporary blip on his way to victory at the ATP Cup on Saturday
Andy Murray believes the best years of his career could still be ahead after confirming his status as world number one by beating Novak Djokovic to claim the ATP Tour Finals crown on Sunday. Murray, 29, became the oldest man since 1974 to reach the top of the rankings for the first time last month and the way he dominated the final months of the season, winning five titles and 24 matches in a row, suggests he could be right.
Images from Day 3 of the US Open, at Flushing Meadows, New York.
Images from Day 4 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal crowned his brilliant year by defeating World No 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the US Open men's singles title at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
Eleven years after their first meeting in the Australian Open final, Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take a trip down memory lane on Thursday to renew their rivalry in the second round in Melbourne.
Borna Coric ended Roger Federer's 20-match winning streak on grass, beating him 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 in the Halle Open final on Sunday while also bringing to a halt the Swiss maestro's reign as World No 1.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had made it near impossible for their peers to live, and thrive, amongst them. But the coming generation, which hasn't been as scarred by defeat at the hands of the Big 3, may make tennis unpredictable again.
Novak Djokovic overcame a battling Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his sixth Cincinnati Masters final on Saturday while Roger Federer enjoyed a less-taxing route to the title match after his semi-final opponent David Goffin retired with a shoulder injury.
Images from Day 10 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Thursday.
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