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NEW YORK - When the tennis was done, the fun began.
As hilarious after his U.S. Open quarterfinal 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 postmatch 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.”
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Moya caught some of the postmatch 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.
Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.
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.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
