Top 10 Stories from the 2016 U.S. Open

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 09: (L-R) Novak Djokovic of Serbia talks with Gael Monfils of France after defeating him with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

2. The Djoker versus Monfools

In a tournament full of crazy for Novak Djokovic, his semi-final battle against Gael Monfils stands out as a particularly outrageous chapter. That it would with that opponent is not entirely surprising. Monfils is known as an entertainer, one who stuns viewers with his super-athletic play and entertains them with drama. But this was a bizarre show even for him.

Initially it looked like it was going to be another easy win for Djokovic; the match started with him winning the first five games. Then Monfils suddenly came to life, winning the next three games and nearly getting it back on serve. Djokovic ultimately took it 6-3, Monfils went back to playing badly, and then for a while it looked like back to normal programming. At least for the Serb, although Monfils’ play was so listless it was ridiculous.

Until he was up two sets and the break, and Monfils started to play well again. But strange behavior was catching; Djokovic’s reaction to losing the third set was to rip his shirt off! Monfils would soon top him there too, first doubling over after failing to break, but instead of the trainer he eventually called for a coca-cola. It was Djokovic who called for the trainer. Twice. For his medical timeout, Monfils would instead leave the court entirely. Other weird moments included Monfils playing several points with a moth on his back, and Djokovic arguing with the umpire, although by then that didn’t even ping on the weirdness scale.

When the Serb came through to win the match in four, everyone waited impatiently for the witty winner’s take on what had just happened. How he summed it up? “Humid.” He thought the weather had been the thing that influenced the both most. Perhaps by then he was just playing with all our heads.

Next: Novak Djokovic’s weirdest tournament ever