Novak Djokovic says he was "tense" for his match against Stanislas Wawrinka in the U.S. Open semifinals, but believes the five-set win will help him in the final against Rafael Nadal.
"I knew he was going to play well and be aggressive. I saw him play well especially here against [Andy] Murray [in the quarterfinals] and some matches. He's just feeling the ball great. He's very confident, and there is no major flaws in his game," said Djokovic, who came from a set and 4-1 down to win in five sets. "So knowing that, I came to the court, and as I said, I was a little bit tense because then you know you have to be resistant to that but also play your own style of the game. I wanted to be aggressive, and then I started making mistakes. He played well, and then, you know, all of a sudden I was set and break down."
But Djokovic was encouraged by the way he battled back. "Even though I was quite nervous at the start of the match and we played five sets, I still felt that I was there, you know, and that I was fighting," said the world No. 1. "In the end of the day, I managed to stay tough and play well when I needed to. It was one of those days where even if you don't feel well on the court you have to be tough and believe that you can win. Mentally it's going to help me, and physically I'm fine.”
Djokovic, who received a warning for getting coaching from his box, criticized the timing of the umpire's call, but admitted he had been getting assistance from his team.
"I mean, in that particular moment I thought that maybe it wasn't fair to give me a warning," he said. "At that particular moment, because I wasn't communicating with my box. But there were a few times that I was looking to my box and my coach was trying to help out. So I have no complaints about the warning. I think it's fair, in general, and I had to take it."