Novak Djokovic calls the secret to his tennis – and his life away from the court – “mindfulness”, a form of meditation in which he confronts negative thoughts in his psyche then banishes them.

Given the departures from this US Open of Roger Federer and Andy Murray before the second weekend, he is probably well advised to take on board as much positivity as he can find before his semi-final against Stanislas Wawrinka today because, as Murray learned to his cost on Thursday, Mr Nice Guy no longer walks in the shadows of his own doubts.

The Swiss admitted before beating Murray in straight sets in the quarter-finals: "I am quite an unsure guy on the court." However, as he went on to reveal, the turning point in his career was his dramatic five-setter against Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open this year, a match he should have won but which buoyed him nonetheless. "After that match, I had the feeling that everything I was doing outside, the practice, was in the right direction. For me, it was a loss but a victory inside."

Near 'flawless'
Djokovic has had, in his words, a near "flawless" tournament. The majority view is the only player left here who can stop him is Rafael Nadal, who has been similarly dominant and should have too much for his long-time friend, Richard Gasquet. Humility and bonhomie run strongly in the sentiments ahead of the other semi-final. Nadal, who has won eight titles and all 20 of his hardcourt matches in one of the sport's great comebacks, said of Gasquet: "He's a nice guy, one of the players on the Tour I feel closer to because we are the same age. We grew up in similar ways and played when we were kids."

It is pointless yet to wonder who may win the final on Monday if Djokovic and Nadal get there again. But it would be a treat if it came close to the level they produced when the Spaniard claimed the title here three years ago or when the Serb won the rematch in 2011.
Guardian Service