Massimiliano Allegri has full faith in his Juventus squad turning around their campaign and challenging for the Serie A title after falling to a 2-1 loss at Napoli.
Juve's slow start to Allegri's second spell in charge continued on Saturday as second-half goals from Matteo Politano and Kalidou Koulibaly earned Napoli a comeback win.
The Bianconeri, who led through Alvaro Morata's 10th-minute strike, have now failed to win any of their first three league games for just the second time in 52 Serie A seasons.
Saturday's late loss also means Allegri has failed to win any of his past eight league games in charge of Juve either side of a two-year sabbatical.
After collecting just one point from their first three matches of the 2021-22 campaign, six-time Scudetto winner Allegri is adamant that his side will grow stronger.
"I have ample trust in this group. I know they will make up the lost ground," he said. "This group is destined to grow thanks to the blows taken.
"This evening's defeat was different and we must quickly put it behind us."
After profiting from a Kostas Manolas error to take the lead in Naples, Juve themselves gifted their opponents – who now have three wins from three – a couple of goals.
Wojciech Szczesny parried Lorenzo Insigne's shot into the path of Politano for Napoli's leveller and could only push a poor Moise Kean header straight to Koulibaly for the late winner.
It is the first time since March 2010 that Napoli have recovered from a losing position to beat Juventus in the league and Allegri accepts his side were not good enough.
"I liked the attitude of the team in the first half, but in the second half Napoli got the upper hand. Sometimes you are made to pay for individual mistakes," he said.
"Szczesny does not lack calmness. He made a mistake with his handling today, but he will be in the team on Tuesday.
"As for Kean, these things happen in football sometimes. We also conceded similar goals to Udinese and Empoli
"From a technical point of view, we could have done better. We haven't won yet, but now we start thinking about our next match in the Champions League."
That European tie with Malmo on Tuesday is followed five days later by a huge clash with Allegri's former side Milan at the Allianz Stadium.
"We know that we need to be more lucid near the area, though the team did what I asked of them today from a tactical point of view against a good Napoli side," Allegri added.
"In football there is no room for mistakes. We have an important test ahead of us that we must overcome in order for it not to become a mental thing."
Juve, who were missing some key players on Saturday, managed just eight shots in total against Napoli and none at all on target in the second half.
That makes it back-to-back blanks for the Bianconeri since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club to rejoin Manchester United, but Allegri reiterated he is eager to move on from that high-profile exit.
"Ronaldo is part of the past, he made a choice," Allegri said. "Now he's gone. Juve let him go because you can't keep a player against your will."
Francesco Bagnaia produced a "perfect lap" to seal pole position for Sunday's Aragon GP.
The Italian delivered a lap of one minute and 46.332 seconds on his second run to break the lap record at Aragon, which had stood since 2015.
Ducati team-mate Jack Miller was his nearest rival at just 0.366secs adrift, giving Ducati their first one-two in qualifying since Aragon 2018.
It marks Bagnaia's second pole of the 2021 season and the 50th for Ducati in MotoGP.
"I think it was a perfect lap," said Bagnaia. "It was great. I did a nice sector one, the sector two was incredible too and our bike in sector four helped us a lot.
"Also, entry to the last corner was incredible. I looked at the data of Jorge Martin this morning, who was doing a different line compared to me, and then I tried to do the same and I improved a lot. I didn't expect to do a lap like that."
Bagnaia has never won a MotoGP race and he is keen to avoid complacency ahead of Sunday's race at MotorLand.
"I'll just try to set my pace and be fast," he added. "It will be important what happens with the tyres after 15 or 16 laps and in the last part of the race I feel strong, we will see if I am strong enough to win.
"The important thing will be to stay with the best from start to finish.
"It’s difficult to say that I'm ready to win or that I can win, but all the things are there."
Fabio Quartararo completed the front row, extending his run of consecutive top-three qualifying results to 11 this season.
The French rider, however, does not believe he has the pace to keep up with the Ducati pair.
"I want to have fun. Of course, it would be great to fight for the podium," he said.
"But to be honest, I don't feel I have the pace, so I will try to manage the best result as possible and I will try to stay with the front guys and fight until the end.
"But right now, at least we need to make a step in the warm-up to be able to fight for the podium tomorrow.
"So, let's hope for an improvement on the warm-up."
Provisional classification
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1:46.322
2. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.366
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.397
4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.414
5. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +0.556
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.561
7. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.840
8. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.872
9. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) +0.956
10. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +0.966
11. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +1.044
12. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +1.610
British tennis was on a super Saturday high at the US Open as Emma Raducanu took centre stage – after Joe Salisbury, Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett celebrated title success.
Salisbury completed a remarkable doubles double, adding the mixed title to the men's crown he secured on Friday, and Reid and Hewett teamed up to clinch a calendar Grand Slam in wheelchair men's doubles.
After Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram won the men's doubles title by beating Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, Salisbury returned on Saturday to land another title, the fourth major of his career.
Salisbury teamed up with another American partner, Desirae Krawczyk, to see off Mexican Giuliana Olmos and Salvadorean Marcelo Arevalo 7-5 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium, in the match directly before the women's final.
Raducanu, the world number 150, was going for glory in the women's singles final against another unlikely finalist in Canada's Leylah Fernandez.
If she was seeking inspiration from fellow Britons, it was in plentiful supply, with wheelchair maestros Reid and Hewett scoring a 6-2 6-1 doubles victory over Japan's Shingo Kunieda and Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez.
That meant they sealed a clean sweep of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2021, becoming the first men's wheelchair duo in history to perform that feat.
France's Stephane Houdet previously won a calendar Grand Slam in the event, but he played with two different partners during the 2014 campaign, landing three titles with Kunieda and one with Joachim Gerard.
Robert Lewandowski was withdrawn during Bayern Munich's 4-1 win at RB Leipzig as a "precaution", though Serge Gnabry does appear to be a doubt to face Barcelona on Tuesday.
Julian Nagelsmann enjoyed a personally satisfying return to former club Leipzig on Saturday, as Bayern ran out comprehensive winners at the Red Bull Arena.
The coach was given a frosty reception at the start, with fans annoyed that he took several members of the coaching staff and Marcel Sabitzer to Bayern despite promising not to raid his former club.
Leipzig's social media team stoked the tension by poking fun at Nagelsmann and the situation before the game, posting a mocked-up image of Nagelsmann driving a car with his coaching staff, Sabitzer and Dayot Upamecano – who agreed a deal with Bayern before his boss arrived – present as passengers. "Remember, it's the away dressing room for you this time, guys," read the caption.
Nagelsmann had the last laugh as Bayern comprehensively left with all three points – Lewandowski's early penalty was added to by a Jamal Musiala volley, Leroy Sane's tap-in and a late Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting strike.
Musiala was ultimately the key man with a goal and an assist, but he was only on the pitch due to an injury suffered by Gnabry late in the first half, and Nagelsmann could not be sure he will be fit to face Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League opener.
"With Serge there is something in his back, maybe lumbago [lower-back pain]," he told Sky. "I can’t make a prognosis for Tuesday just yet.
"He's already being treated by the medical staff and we'll have to see how he's doing tomorrow and what extent things are to know if he'll be back to work by Tuesday."
Lewandowski was also withdrawn later in the game once Nagelsmann was confident the contest was over.
It seems he too was struggling with an injury, though Nagelsmann was less concerned about the prolific striker's condition, adamant they planned to give him a bit of a rest towards the end anyway.
"It's like that with Lewy, he's had a few problems in the adductor area," Nagelsmann added.
"I don't think that's anything structural, at least the doctor told me that. It was just a precautionary measure.
"When it was quickly 3-0, we decided to switch him earlier so that he would just stay fit and healthy."
Mauricio Pochettino insisted Kylian Mbappe has plenty of love for Paris Saint-Germain after the speculation surrounding a move to Real Madrid last month.
PSG reportedly rejected three bids - the last one said to be worth up to €200million - from Madrid for the 22-year-old, whose contract with the Ligue 1 giants runs out at the end of the season.
Mbappe has so far turned down the opportunity to sign a new deal, though the speculation has not affected his form, and he scored with a typically composed finish in PSG's 4-0 rout of Clermont on Saturday.
The France forward has now scored against 26 of the 27 teams he has faced in Ligue 1, while he has also directly contributed to a goal in each of his last 10 appearances in the competition.
Mbappe, who was taken off with 11 minutes remaining, ended Saturday's match with a game-leading five attempts, with three of those on target, including a shot that was parried out to Idrissa Gueye for PSG's fourth goal.
However, prior to his strike against Clermont, there appeared to be something of a mixed reaction from the PSG faithful at Parc des Princes, with some sections of the home fans appearing to whistle and jeer the youngster.
Pochettino claimed not to have heard anything untoward, but was adamant that Mbappe has nothing but respect for PSG.
"I didn't hear the whistles, but I heard the ovation he received when he went to take a corner in the second half with the affection of all the supporters of Paris," Pochettino told a news conference.
"He is a great professional, a great player and a good boy, he has a lot of love for this club. He has shown it since he got here.
"He is focused on improving every day, helping the team and fulfilling the club's goals. He shows great respect every day for this club, you have to salute him."
Next up for PSG is a Champions League encounter with Club Brugge. Lionel Messi and Neymar, who were both absent for Saturday's match, are likely to return and may well start in a front three with Mbappe for the first time.
Julian Nagelsmann enjoyed a glorious return to former club RB Leipzig on Saturday as Bayern Munich ran out comfortable 4-1 victors in the Bundesliga.
Nagelsmann became a source of anger among Leipzig fans after he departed for Bayern and then also took Marcel Sabitzer with him, and any such ill-feeling will not have eased after this victory.
Robert Lewandowski put Bayern in front early on with a well-taken penalty and then a quick-fire double courtesy of Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane early in the second half put the game beyond the hosts.
Jesse Marsch's men quickly pulled one back in spectacular fashion through Konrad Laimer, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback as Leipzig's miserable record against Bayern continued, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting adding a stoppage-time fourth for good measure.
Leipzig had already seen a penalty shout of their own controversially ignored when Kevin Kampl was penalised for handball after a VAR check in the 12th minute, with Lewandowski sweeping home the resulting spot-kick.
The hosts grew as a threat as the first half progressed and Bayern received a blow just before half-time when Serge Gnabry was forced off.
But his replacement quickly made an impact just after the break, as Musiala volleyed home Alphonso Davies' cross.
The misery of Andre Silva's disallowed goal shortly after was compounded by Sane burying a Musiala cross to essentially end Leipzig's hopes of a turnaround.
They certainly showed spirit as Laimer got one back with a sumptuous long-range strike and Silva almost reached a Christopher Nkunku pass for a tap-in.
But it was Bayern who got the only late goal, Choupo-Moting showing good composure to slam past Peter Gulacsi after Kimmich sliced open the Leipzig defence.
Juventus' slow start to life under Massimiliano Allegri continued on Saturday as second-half goals from Matteo Politano and Kalidou Koulibaly saw them lose 2-1 at Napoli.
After being held by Udinese before suffering a shock home defeat to Empoli, it looked like being third time lucky for Allegri in his second spell in charge as Alvaro Morata profited from a terrible Kostas Manolas error to open the scoring early on.
But Napoli responded through a Politano strike shortly before the hour mark after Wojciech Szczesny pushed the ball into the forward's path, and the hosts completed the comeback thanks to Koulibaly's finish five minutes from time.
It is just the second time in 51 Serie A campaigns – the other occasion being in Allegri's first tenure in 2015-16 – that Juventus have failed to win any of their first three games to a Serie A season.
Napoli started the match on top but found themselves behind against the run of play when Morata caught Manolas in possession and beat David Ospina from a tight angle.
Dejan Kulusevski was denied by a fine Ospina save soon after, although the offside flag would have denied the forward, who was making his first start of the campaign.
Napoli showed good resolve to find an equaliser as a shot by Lorenzo Insigne, making his 400th appearance for the club in all competitions, was parried by Szczesny and Politano reacted quickest to squeeze home.
The hosts always looked the more likely to find a winner in the remaining half an hour and so that proved when Moise Kean's poor defensive header was fumbled by Szczesny for Koulibaly to score from a yard out.
Lewis Hamilton will start the Italian Grand Prix in fourth after being made to pay for a slow start to Saturday's sprint race at Monza, which saw Valtteri Bottas come out on top.
Mercedes driver Hamilton started in second but dropped to fifth early on and only managed to recover one place in the half-hour 18-lap race.
Bottas took control of the sprint – just the second ever after the inaugural event at Silverstone in July – and finished in front of Max Verstappen to take three points.
However, the Finn will start from the back of the grid on Sunday after taking a penalty for a power unit change, meaning that Verstappen moves into pole position.
With his second-placed finish, Verstappen also extends his World Championship lead over Hamilton by two points, while Daniel Ricciardo completed the top three.
"I feel good. It feels like it has been a while to finish first in a race," Bottas told Sky Sports.
"Unfortunately I'm starting from the back tomorrow but the speed is there, so I'll be fighting and coming as high as I can. Today, I enjoy and it was a clean race. We had a good pace. All good.
"Tomorrow is not going to be easy, that's for sure. The train of cars with DRS, it's not easy but obviously strategy-wise, still a free choice of tyres for the start, so let's see if we can do something."
The race got off to a frantic start as Pierre Gasly, who triumphed on this circuit last year, crashed out on Turn 1 after clipping Ricciardo and losing control of his AlphaTauri.
The safety car was deployed for the next three laps and McLaren pair Ricciardo and Lando Norris were able to successfully stay in front of Hamilton.
Hamilton did not have a chance to attack Norris, though he did at least stay clear of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari duo finishing sixth and seventh respectively.
Rafael Nadal posed with crutches and an apparently bandaged foot as the injured former US Open champion revealed on Saturday he has undergone treatment in Barcelona.
The 20-time grand slam winner announced in August that his season was over, as he battles a problem that has troubled him since 2005 and has recently hindered his tournament preparation.
Nadal felt he was unable to do himself justice, and since a French Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in June, he has played just two more matches, reaching the last 16 at the Citi Open in Washington.
He wrote on Instagram on Saturday: "Hello everyone, I have not communicated with you through the networks for some time.
"I can tell you that I was in Barcelona with my team and the medical team, to receive a treatment on my foot that will mean I take a few days of rest and a few weeks off court.
"I am back home and in the process of recovery. Thank you all for your support!"
The social media post shows Mallorca native Nadal giving a thumbs-up gesture to the camera, but it also gives an indication of the extent of his problem.
He stands with only his right foot on the ground, the left raised off the floor in what looks like an effort to protect it, as he props himself up with a pair of crutches in his left hand.
Nadal has won the US Open four times, most recently in 2019, but has been one of a number of star-name absentees from this year's tournament in New York.
The 35-year-old has 13 French Open wins among his haul of majors, and stands level on 20 grand slams with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic has an opportunity to go top of the all-time men's list on Sunday when he faces Daniil Medvedev in the men's final at Flushing Meadows.
As Nadal suffers, so does his great rival Federer. A Nadal return to action in 2022 appears a more likely prospect than another Federer comeback.
Federer has cast some doubt on whether he will play again, as the 40-year-old battles knee trouble. The Swiss said last month he would be "on crutches for many weeks" after surgery, declaring he wanted to give himself "a glimmer of hope" of featuring again on tour.
Antoine Griezmann will return for Atletico Madrid against Espanyol but head coach Diego Simeone insisted his focus is on the team dynamic and ensuring his talented attacking options click, rather than individuals.
The France forward made a remarkable move back from Barcelona, initially joining the reigning LaLiga champions on loan with either club holding the option to extend for a further year.
Griezmann scored 133 goals across 257 games in his first spell before that ultimately ill-fated €120million move to the Catalan giants in 2019, and Simeone revealed his new loanee is relishing a homecoming.
"I found [Antoine] Griezmann eager to return to Atletico Madrid, very enthusiastic about the situation of returning to the team," Simeone told reporters on Saturday.
However, the 51-year-old head coach wanted to avoid focusing on individuals as Atletico look to end a three-game winless away run at Espanyol in LaLiga.
Luis Suarez, who has been involved in 15 goals in 11 top-flight appearances against Sunday's opponents, could link up with his former Barca colleague Griezmann again, though the France star will face a fight for a place in the side given Atletico now boast a wealth of attacking talent among their ranks.
Angel Correa has thrived as a support striker, scoring three times in the first two LaLiga games, as Atletico opened with back-to-back wins for the fourth time in the Simeone era.
Versatile attacker Matheus Cunha then arrived from Hertha Berlin for a reported €26m fee late in the transfer window.
The Brazil forward created 54 chances – ranking him sixth among forwards in Germany – last season, while only five forwards across the top five European leagues completed more dribbles than Cunha's 123 since his arrival in Berlin back in January 2020.
Yannick Carrasco was the only Atletico player to complete 100 dribbles in that time and the Belgian winger – often used as a wing-back last term – led club charts for chances created (47) in LaLiga in 2020-21.
Add the likes of Joao Felix, Thomas Lemar, Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo De Paul to the equation and Simeone has a wealth of creative talents to call on. Now he can look to Griezmann as well.
Although his Barcelona spell may not have lived up to expectations, he still netted 20 times across 51 appearances in all competitions last season, providing 12 assists and creating 67 chances for Ronald Koeman's side. That was two more than he managed in 2017-18, arguably the finest individual campaign of Griezmann's career.
But Simeone is not kidding himself. While he has great talent at his disposal, he needs them to click.
"Internal competition has grown and that leads us to compete better," Simeone continued.
"At first it is easy to speak from the names. I believe in men and in how a team is executed. We are absolutely always looking for a team.
"Names don't team up, men do. We will go in that search of that commitment we have towards the club, always looking for the best."
Novak Djokovic is well aware of the history he is poised to make in Sunday's US Open final, and he is not shying away from it.
After his 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2 defeat of Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals Friday, a win in the final against Daniil Medvedev would make Djokovic the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors in the same year.
It would also give him a record 21st grand slam title, breaking the mark he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Two astonishing achievements, neither of which is complete just yet, as Djokovic reminded observers by invoking a famous Kobe Bryant line.
"Job is not done," Djokovic said. "Excitement is there. Motivation is there, without a doubt. Probably more than ever. But I have one more to go."
Djokovic did cross one statistical milestone off the list with Friday's win. He has now reached his 31st grand slam final, equalling Roger Federer's record.
Since falling to Kei Nishikori in the last four at the 2014 US Open, Djokovic is 17-1 in grand slam semis.
Zverev lauded Djokovic for his mental toughness as the world number one improved to 36-10 in five-set matches, but the top seed said he still has to fight himself to stay in control in high-pressure situations.
"It's kind of a hurricane, a tornado, of emotions that you're going through in a sequence of one set or even one point," Djokovic said. "You are by yourself on the court, so there is no escape.
"You've got to find a way. And I think, over the years, I have managed to develop a formula that works for me. ...
"Tennis is a very beautiful sport but a very demanding sport and you've got to have mind and body balanced at all times if you want to compete at the highest level for the biggest trophies."
Few can match him on that stage and he will attempt to reach even greater heights with a win Sunday.
His opponent, the second-seeded Medvedev, has dropped only one set on the way to the final.
Djokovic beat him in straight sets in January to win the Australian Open and deny the 25-year-old Russian his first grand slam title.
History will be on the line Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Djokovic is embracing it.
"There's only one match left. ... Let's do it,'' he said. "I'm going to put my heart and my soul and my body and my head into that one. I'm going to treat the next match like it is the last match of my career.''
The New York Mets opened the Subway Series with a 10-3 defeat of the Yankees at Citi Field on Friday.
Though an Aaron Judge RBI groundout in the first inning gave the visitors their first lead of any kind since Sunday, the Yankees soon fell apart on the way their their seventh loss in a row and 11th in their last 13 games.
Tylor Megill was dominant for the Mets, allowing four hits and two runs in seven innings while striking out 10.
His opposite number, Jordan Montgomery, had a miserable outing, walking in the tying run in the third inning on the way to allowing seven hits and as many runs (five earned) in 3.1 innings of work.
Francisco Lindor homered for the Mets, while Javier Baez had three hits and drove in two.
Urias, Dodgers shut out Padres
Julio Urias allowed three hits and walked one in seven innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the San Diego Padres 3-0. Max Muncy's two-run homer off Joe Musgrove in the third inning provided all the offence Urias needed as the pitcher improved to 17-3.
The Dodgers could not gain any ground on San Francisco, though, as the Giants defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-1 for their fifth win in a row. After Kyle Hendricks held the Giants to one run through six innings, Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt each smashed two-run homers off the Chicago bullpen in the seventh to put the game away.
The Atlanta Braves extended their division lead over the Philadelphia Phillies to 4.5 games with a 6-2 victory over the Miami Marlins as Ian Anderson allowed only a two-run first-inning homer to Jesus Sanchez. Anderson and four Braves relievers combined to strike out 17 batters.
Jose Abreu hit a three-run homer for the Chicago White Sox as Carlos Rodon and six relievers held the Boston Red Sox in check on the way to a 4-3 victory.
Lorenzo Cain's grand slam capped a six-run fifth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers rolled past the Cleveland Indians 10-3. The win moved the Brewers to a franchise-record 32 games over .500 at 87-55.
Strong start, ugly finish for Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani the hitter did his job Friday, smashing his MLB-leading 44th home run in the first inning. Shohei Ohtani the pitcher had a tougher night, allowing nine hits and six runs in 3.1 innings in his second-worst start of the season as the Los Angeles Angels fell to the Houston Astros 10-5. According to Stats Perform, he is the first player in the modern era to hit a homer in the first inning and be the losing pitcher in the same game.
Schoop, Tigers blast past Rays
The Detroit Tigers trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh before Jonathan Schoop put the home team on top with a grand slam. Victor Reyes would follow with a three-run homer in the eighth to put the game out of reach as the Tigers won 10-4.
Friday's results
San Francisco Giants 6-1 Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 Washington Nationals
Detroit Tigers 10-4 Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles 6-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Colorado Rockies 11-2 Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets 10-3 New York Yankees
Milwaukee Brewers 10-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 6-2 Miami Marlins
Houston Astros 10-5 Los Angeles Angels
Kansas City Royals 6-4 Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox 4-3 Boston Red Sox
Cincinnati Reds 4-2 St Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics 10-5 Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners 5-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Yankees at Mets
Expect an emotional scene at Citi Field as the Mets (71-71) host the Yankees (78-63) on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
To hear Alexander Zverev tell it, he would have needed to be perfect to beat Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals.
In the end, a wobbly beginning to the fifth set proved the German's undoing in a 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2 defeat Friday simply because Djokovic was at his best when it mattered most.
Combine that enduring quality with the Serbian's incredible statistical record, said Zverev, and you have the greatest player of all time.
Djokovic will have a chance to solidify that case Sunday when he faces Daniil Medvedev for the title.
A victory would make the 34-year-old the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors in the same year and give him a record 21st grand slam title, breaking the mark he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
"I think it's great for the sport," Zverev said after his loss. "Nobody thought anybody will do it again, what Rod Laver did. To see ]Djokovic] have the chance on Sunday, I do believe that he will do it is great. He's breaking every single record that there is.
"If you look at the stats, if you look the pure game of tennis action, he's the greatest of all time.
"Nobody is there with him, because most weeks world number one, most Masters 1000s titles, most likely going to be the most grand slams at the end of the day.
"And he has the chance of winning all four in the same year. How do you compete with that?"
Zverev certainly tried Friday, becoming the first player to push Djokovic to a fifth set since Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final.
"I fought back," he said. "I left it all out there. ... I mean, the match could have gone both ways, but it went his way. Very often it does."
On this night, Zverev said, it was largely Djokovic's serve on big points that boosted the top seed.
Whatever shots happened to be working better than others for Djokovic, though, one factor stood above the rest, as it usually does for him at grand slams.
"I think mentally he's the best player to ever play the game," Zverev said. "Mentally, in the most important moments, I would rather play against anybody else but him."
Novak Djokovic is one win away from becoming the first man to complete a Grand Slam in 52 years.
The world number one fought back to defeat Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2 Friday in the US Open semi-finals to put himself on the brink of history.
Djokovic will face second seed Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's final as he attempts to win a record 21st grand slam title and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors in a calendar year.
Laver was in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch the top seed exert his will as he has done in so many five-setters over the years, breaking down the younger player over the course of the match to emerge with yet another triumph.
Zverev had ended Djokovic's chances of a Golden Slam with a semi-final win at the Tokyo Olympics, rallying for a three-set win after dropping the opening set, but the script was different Friday.
It started with Djokovic losing the opening set for the fourth successive match in New York. In the previous three rounds, he did not drop more than three games in any subsequent set, but Zverev made him work harder this time.
With the first set even at 4-4, Djokovic fell behind 15-40 and double faulted on break point to give Zverev the opening he needed. Though his next service game was a bit shaky, Zverev managed to take the set when Djokovic mis-hit a forehand.
The German's momentum did not last, though, as he returned the favour by double faulting on break point in his first service game of the second set and watched Djokovic level the match with relative ease.
Zverev had a chance to take control early in the third, earning two break points at 2-2, but he failed to convert and did not get another chance. When Djokovic had a similar opportunity up 5-4, though, he closed it out.
Down 0-40 in that game, Zverev saved two break points – the latter via an epic 53-shot rally that was the longest at this year's US Open – but Djokovic slammed home an overhead winner on the next point to take the set.
Zverev shook off that disappointment and put the pressure back on Djokovic by hammering a forehand winner down the line to break the top seed and take a 2-1 lead in the fourth.
The German did not falter the rest of the set, eventually serving it out to force a decider and push Djokovic to a fifth set for the first time since the French Open final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic jumped to an early lead in the fifth, forcing Zverev to the net on break point in the second game with a beautiful drop shot before finishing the younger player off with a cross-court winner.
Djokovic reeled off four consecutive points to break Zverev in his next service game, then held at love to put the fourth seed on the brink at 5-0.
Zverev, a winner in seven of his previous eight five-setters, did not surrender, breaking Djokovic thanks to a double fault on game point to pull within 5-2.
But Djokovic ended it there, breaking back to close out the match in the next game as Zverev sent a forehand into the net from the baseline.
DATA SLAM
With the victory, Djokovic improved to 34-2 in night matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium and 36-10 in five-set matches in his career, winning his last seven in a row.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 41/49
Zverev – 49/50
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 12/2
Zverev – 16/8
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 5/8
Zverev – 3/12
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