Federer, Djokovic one step away from US Open final

FE Team | Published: September 06, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

NEW YORK, Sept 5 (AFP): Roger Federer's dream of a potential US Open final clash with Novak Djokovic faces a stiff test Saturday from Marin Cilic, the Croat who sees a first Grand Slam title as a perfect way to repair his reputation.
Federer, the 17-time major champion who is chasing a record sixth US Open title, has a 5-0 career edge over Cilic including a four-set win in New York in 2011 and at Toronto in three tough sets last month.
Cilic, the 25-year-old 14th seed, missed last year's US Open sitting out a controversial doping ban handed out after he tested positive for a banned stimulant contained in a supplement bought over-the-counter by one of his staff.
A six-month ban was eventually reduced to four by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but Cilic still believes the entire process was unjust.
"It angered me how all the process went because it was not fair to me. It wouldn't be fair to any tennis player," Cilic said.
Cilic was a semi-finalist at Australia in 2010 and a two-time quarter-finalist in New York in 2009 and 2012.
But that final step has always proved impossible for Cilic, who now has 2001 Wimbledon champion and compatriot Goran Ivanisevic in his corner as coach.