In the sixth and final part of a special series of interviews with Roger Federer in Switzerland, the 35 year old discusses his burgeoning love for the game.

Federer reveals that it is this passion that makes him more determined and hungry to return to the ATP World Tour, as he looks forward to resuming his career at the start of the 2017 season.

There are competitive tennis players, and then there’s Novak Djokovic.

During his semi-final match on Friday at the US Open, Djokovic was leading Gael Monfils two sets to love. But the top seed had just lost three consecutive break points. So upset was Djokovic that he ripped his shirt.

“These things happen,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll see a thrown racquet here and there, a ripped shirt. It’s all in the heat of the battle.”

Djokovic would go on to beat Monfils 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to his seventh US Open final. But when he ripped his shirt, the match didn’t look so promising.

Monfils was serving at 5-3 in the third set and had momentum. The Frenchman had fallen behind 0/40 but climbed back to deuce. After he won the deuce point to gain the advantage, Djokovic, furious about the missed chances, ripped away.

“I can’t blame Uniqlo for that shirt,” he said of his clothing sponsor. “The quality is very good, by the way.”

The Serbian ripped his shirt a little and then tore away at the Uniqlo polo, exposing his chest to the humid air in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I did rip it once, and then the second time just got out of hand,” he said. “But, you know, it felt nice, because my body could breathe a little bit more.”

Djokovic, a two-time US Open champion (2011, 2015), will face Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s final. It will mark the third time the two have met in Flushing Meadows. Djokovic won both prior meetings in New York and leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 19-4. But the third-seeded Wawrinka won their only previous meeting in a Grand Slam tournament final, 2015 Roland Garros.

So whatever happened to Djokovic’s shirt? Did it land in the garbage?

“I guess so,” he said. “I haven’t seen it ever since.”

A new team will be crowned US Open champion on Saturday when fourth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares square off against unseeded Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

For the British-Brazilian pairing, it will be an attempt at a second Grand Slam doubles title of the season after winning the Australian Open. Murray/Soares saw off defending champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the semi-finals and should they triumph in the final, they would become the first team to win multiple Grand Slam titles in a season since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won three in 2013.

The Brit/Brazilian duo, who started playing together this season, won the first Grand Slam tournament they played, the 2016 Australian Open. But they lost in the third round  at Roland Garros and fell in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Both have contested finals in New York before, however. Murray finished runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year (w/Peers) while Soares fell in the 2013 final (w/Peya). The Brazilian had previously tasted US Open success with mixed doubles titles in 2012 and 2014.

Their opponents, Spaniards Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez, have never progressed past the third round in a Grand Slam tournament. Coming into the US Open, they were 0-2 as a team this season (10-10 lifetime), although both had carried form over from the US hard-court swing. 

Carreno Busta won his first ATP World Tour singles title and Garcia-Lopez won the doubles trophy at Winston-Salem. It would cap a strong turnaround for Garcia-Lopez, who started the season 0-11 in doubles before reaching the semi-finals in Atlanta last month.

Carreno Busta/Garcia Lopez become the first unseeded duo to reach the US Open final since 2000 when Lleyton Hewitt and Max Mirnyi captured the title (d. E. Ferreira/R. Leach).

Novak Djokovic is getting real.

The World No. 1 will star in a new documentary series about himself, set to air exclusively on Amazon Prime, it was announced Friday. The reality series, which will follow the Serbian on and off court, will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, Austria and Japan in 2017.

“My fans have been suffering and celebrating with me from the very beginning of my career on the tennis courts,” Djokovic said in a statement. “Now I want to share with them all my daily life and what’s important to me – my values, my beliefs, and my habits – and also introduce to them all the amazing people that are always next to me.”

“Novak” (working title), to be co-executive produced by former tennis player Boris Kodjoe, will reveal a behind-the-scenes look at Djokovic’s life. Based on a concept by Alberto Scarpetta and Djokovic, the series will explore his mental and fitness routines and meticulous dietary habits. It will also cover his personal life, including trips to his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, and his work with the Novak Djokovic Foundation for early-childhood education and with charities such as UNICEF.

A sweltering New York summer’s day and an opponent now undefeated in 13 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters combined to put an end to Gael Monfils’ hopes of reaching a maiden Grand Slam final on Friday. The flashy Frenchman fell 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to top seed Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“At the beginning I think Novak was playing good,” the 10^th seed said. “I didn’t serve great. It was very quickly 5-0. I had to change a little bit … Why stay and lose 6-0 and not change anything? Definitely, I try to get in his head … try to create something new for him to see.

“When the guy is too good, playing clean and you’re playing … not that good you need to change … I almost get back in the first set.”

Monfils, who had reached the semi-finals without conceding a set, managed to lift to take the third set as both players struggled under the oppressive humidity. It was momentary reprieve as Djokovic would prove the steadier of the two in the end.

“I think it was hot and humid, but somehow I think also at one moment of the game it was very physical; was good rallies,” Monfils said of the topsy-turvy affair. “Whenever it’s like that it’s never easy to recover quick, like 25 seconds.”

It was only Monfils’ second run to a Grand Slam semi-final after he fell at the same stage at Roland Garros in 2008 (l. Federer). On top of claiming his biggest ATP World Tour title to date at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C, leading in, he ensured he would crack the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2011, rising to No. 8. His best result at Flushing Meadows puts him well on track to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals where he currently sits at No. 6.

Stan Wawrinka prides himself on his durability and fitness and the two factors guided the third-seeded Swiss to victory on Friday in the US Open semi-finals. Wawrinka rallied from an early deficit to defeat Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, setting a championship clash against top seed and two-time champion Novak Djokovic.

With oppressive heat and humidity wreaking havoc all day, Wawrinka outlasted Nishikori in a four-set battle.

“I knew I could always come back,” said Wawrinka on ESPN’s set following the match. “My game plan is to be aggressive. I knew I could fight for three, four, five hours. I want to make them suffer and that’s what I did against Del Potro and today as well.”

On an overcast Friday evening, conditions looked to be challenging for both players, but Nishikori initially showed no ill-effects, bursting out of the gates to seize the early initiative. Launching his groundstrokes deep to Wawrinka’s backhand and opening the court to attack, the Japanese earned a quick break for 3-2 and eventually took a one-set lead.

Nishikori won an impressive 16 of 17 first-serve points to open the match, but it was two second serves that would cost him the break early in the second. Wawrinka countered Nishikori’s aggressive play with an attacking statement of his own, rifling a backhand winner that clipped the baseline to level the set at 3-all. The steady Swiss began plotting his comeback deep in the second set, employing his brand of power tennis to deny six break points, including from 0/40 in the seventh game. It proved to be the turning point in the match. Injecting significant pace into his shots off the ground, he would eventually convert his second set point to draw level at one apiece. 

“It was really wet,” Wawrinka added in his press conference. “It was tough conditions. I just knew that it was important not to show it, to stay there, because I also know that in a five-set match there is some up and down. It’s important to not spend energy by being negative and show the opponent that you’re struggling. I think today it make a big difference for myself.” 

The lead oscillated between the two competitors in the critical third set. First, Wawrinka broke. Then, it was Nishikori’s turn. Both competitors enjoyed runs of three straight games won, but the third-seeded Swiss would have the last laugh. With the roof closed during a period of rain, the Japanese’s energy level began to wane and Wawrinka would pounce on his opportunities. Nishikori’s service speed dipped and his unforced error count grew, while Wawrinka continued to blast away from the baseline, breaking in the 10th game for a two-sets-to-one lead.

Wawrinka would pull away in the fourth set, capturing the first 10 points. Despite conceding the break back three games later, he proved to be too strong in the end. Nishikori’s unforced error count rose to 46 and Wawrinka’s winner total soared to 37, as the Swiss broke twice more to seal the victory on his second match point after three hours and seven minutes. A mammoth inside-out forehand winner at 30/15 in the final game punctuated his efforts. 

The Swiss improved to 14-5 at the US Open when dropping the first set, reaching his first final in 12 appearances in New York. It will be his third Grand Slam title match in total and second in as many years against Djokovic. Wawrinka earned a four-set victory in the Roland Garros final last year. 

“I was definitely tired, especially in the end,” said Nishikori. “The last two set were really tough. I think also he was stepping up a little more from the second set on. He was missing a lot the first set and also I was playing good tennis, but I think he made some changes and he was starting to play better.

“He started using his backhand a little bit more down the line and with angles. I think that was really working for him. For me, I think I was hitting too short and wasn’t making enough first serves. There is a reason he’s been Top 5 for a long time now. He played some good tennis today.” 

Meeting for the sixth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, Wawrinka now leads 4-2. Nishikori took their lone previous encounter of 2016 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the 26 year old also grabbed their only previous meeting at the US Open, prevailing in a riveting five-set affair in the 2014 quarter-finals. He was bidding to reach his second final in New York, having finished runner-up to Marin Cilic two years ago.