After Grigor Dimitrov’s breathless five-set upset of Roger Federer on Tuesday night, one question stuck in the mind: has there ever been a greater turnaround in a single tournament? Twelve months ago Dimitrov stood handsomely in the top 10, yet over the following year his form turned to dust. He fell 70 spots from eighth to 78th. He struggled with shoulder injuries. Only six weeks ago at a small warm-up tournament in Atlanta, the 28-year-old lost to the 405th-ranked Kevin Kim.
Dimitrov stresses that nothing clicked, that his turnaround is a simple consequence of his consistent work through the doubts. Throughout his run to a third career grand slam semi-final, he has played clean, varied tennis with conviction. He dropped only one set en route to the quarter-finals and against Federer, in the middle of battle, he found himself overjoyed by how good his legs felt after so long on the court.
Across the net on Friday Daniil Medvedev’s route to his first grand slam semi-final could not have been more different. The 23-year-old was ranked 68th last year but this glorious summer has seen him piece together 19 wins in 20 matches and he will rise to fourth behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – in other words number one among mere mortals. In his semi-final victory over Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati his body seemed close to hitting a physical wall, yet through his litany of injuries he marches on.
They will try to confound each other in different ways. If Medvedev is feeling good, he will simply try to break Dimitrov by lengthening the rallies to however long Dimitrov can last. The Bulgarian will have to thwart Medvedev’s metronomic rhythm by coming into the net, playing dropshots, attacking the forehand and showing all the talent that he has promised for so long.
As Medvedev and Dimitrov relaxed on Wednesday, savouring the extra day of rest they received by the luck of the draw Matteo Berrettini was serving for his first grand slam semi-final and had raucously arrived at match-point against Gaël Monfils. As Berrettini hit the second serve, his grip slipped in his nervy, sweaty hands and the ball fell limply into the net.
“I was saying to myself during the match: ‘What do you expect?’” said Berrettini. “You’re 23. Just playing your first quarter-finals and you expect that you not get tight?”
As both men battled double faults and nerves, somehow Berrettini recovered for a victory that marked the first time three grand slam semi-finalists were born in the 90s. It is about time players outside the big three started excelling after years of NextGen hype but it is fascinating that the two 23-year-olds to survive should be the two with the least fanfare.
As recently as April Berrettini was ranked outside the top 50, his future promising but his ceiling uncertain. He has spent his spring and summer breaking through across three surfaces, winning titles on clay and grass, reaching his first grand slam fourth round at Wimbledon and then thriving in the chaos of New York.
He now faces Nadal, who has lost only one set here, and he responded to that by punishing the 2014 champion, Marin Cilic, 6-1, 6-2 in their final two sets. Nadal has won 25 of his last 26 matches and he will attempt to obliterate Berrettini’s weaker backhand as he has done to so many over the years.
Berrettini will have to handle pressure, hit his two-handed backhand as well as he ever has and, when Nadal draws out yet another error with his series of wicked, spinning high forehands, have to calm himself in a familiar manner.
