Djokovic closes an Open to forget

NEW YORK (AFP) - Forgive Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic if this US Open is one Grand Slam event he would like to forget.

The third-seeded Serbian lost 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to Swiss second seed Roger Federer in a Saturday semi-final rematch of his straight-set loss in last year's US Open final.

He was unhappy about having to make an early start to the match because of an oncoming tropical storm bringing rain showers and already stressed out about innuendoes he fakes injuries for medical timeouts to disrupt opponents.

"It has been a very exhausting tournament for me mentally and physically. That's one of the main issues," Djokovic said.

"I knew I had to be 100 percent fit to win against a player who has won four times here. If you're not able to hold on you're not able to win."