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Novak Djokovic of Serbia is the favorite to beat for the US Open championship. The New York Times said the top-seeded tennis player has proven critics of his mettle when he beat Andy Murray to qualify in the semifinals. Djokovic managed a convincing 7-6 (1), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 6-4 victory against Murray, who was observed to be in pain.

Djokovic's firepower as a top-seeded tennis player was doubted by critics after he had married his long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristic in July. However, his match against the formidable Murray had proven that he has recovered from his newlywed slump, the Times said.

"I was aiming to play my best tennis in the U.S. Open, and I knew that's going to happen. I mean, I was believing it's going to happen, and I'm really glad that I'm in another semifinal here. Tough draws, some tough players that I played against. Of course as the tournament progresses, I'm trying to gather as much confidence as I can. Winning against Andy in a Grand Slam is definitely a confidence boost, and hopefully I can use it for the next match," Djokovic told the paper.

However, one glaring absence in Djokovic's significant battle to prove his tennis chops was his own wife. 2paragraphs.com said that the tennis player had been relying on his new wife to see him in his matches. Also, Ristic's absence in his match against Murray had led some critics to doubt more of the tennis player's capability to be able to win the US Open championship.

On the other hand, Ristic remains to be Djokovic's inspiration in his recent match at the US Open. Djokovic's wife is actually heavily pregnant with their first child and is due in October. When Djokovic was asked about the effect of his marriage and of Ristic's pregnancy to his performance, the player said, as quoted by Daily Mail, "I have only positive and joyful feelings (about) approaching fatherhood, and hopefully it's going to happen in less than two months. Then I'm going to enjoy it and try to take as much energy as I can, positive energy to the tennis court. But without a doubt, life changes. Priorities change. My priorities are my family, my wife, my future kid. Tennis is definitely not number one any more."