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NEW YORK -- Novak Djokovics opponent in the U.S. Open semifinals, Gael Monfils, might just want to hole up somewhere safe until its time to walk out on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday afternoon.Dont practice too strenuously.Let someone else carry the racket bag.Be extra careful crossing busy streets in Manhattan.Its been hazardous to ones health to get drawn to face Djokovic during this tournament: The defending champion and No. 1 seed has enjoyed an unprecedentedly easy path to the final four at Flushing Meadows, needing to complete only two of five matches because of injuries to three foes.This Grand Slam is very unique for me, acknowledged Djokovic, who is in the U.S. Open semifinals for the 10th consecutive year. I never experienced something like this -- to have three retirements on the road to the semifinals.No one has. According to the ATP, its the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a man only needed to win two match points to get this far at any of tennis four major tournaments.I can only wish all of my opponents a speedy recovery, Djokovic said. Thats all I can do on my end.True. Its not his fault. Still, there certainly could be an advantage to only having to play a total of 84 games across a tad less than 6+ hours so far.Djokovic won a four-setter in the first round. But the player Djokovic was supposed to face in the second round, Jiri Vesely, pulled out of the U.S. Open a couple of hours before the match, citing a bad left arm. The man Djokovic met in the third round, Mikhail Youzhny, stopped after six games that took 31 minutes because of a strained left hamstring.And after a three-set victory in the fourth round, Djokovic only needed to play two sets plus one point in the quarterfinals before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga called it a night because of a problem with his left knee.Fridays second semifinal will be between No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, a two-time major champion, and No. 6 Kei Nishikori, the 2014 runner-up in New York.It shouldnt be surprising that injuries would abound in the ninth month of a season that offers little chance for respite. The U.S. Open is the years last Grand Slam tournament, after all.Even Djokovic has been dealing with health issues of his own. He developed a sore left wrist right before the start of the Rio Olympics in early August, losing in the first round there, then skipping the Cincinnati Masters.Plus, something -- he wont say exactly what -- has been going on with his right arm, which was massaged and manipulated by a trainer during the first and fourth rounds.So the fluky way his U.S. Open has gone is a benefit, he figures.Asked whether he had any concern about the lack of match competition over the past two weeks, Djokovic replied: Not really.Actually, in this stage of the season, considering some physical issues I have had in the last month, month and a half, this was the scenario that I needed and I wished for, he said.I got a lot of days off and recovered my body. Right now Im feeling very close to the peak. Thats the position where I want to be.That also sounds like bad news for the 10th-seeded Monfils, who has lost all 12 career matchups against Djokovic.The Frenchman, who turned 30 last week, will be playing in the second Grand Slam semifinal of his career; the other was a loss at the 2008 French Open.Djokovic, meanwhile, is seeking his 13th major championship, which would break a tie with Roy Emerson for fourth-most in tennis history among men, behind only Roger Federer with 17, and Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal with 14 apiece.When Djokovic completed his career Grand Slam at the French Open in June, it also gave him four major trophies in a row, something last accomplished nearly 50 years ago. His streak was stopped by a third-round loss at Wimbledon.What hes doing is amazing, said Monfils, who has won all 15 sets hes played at Flushing Meadows this year. Hes better player than me, definitely. I think I have no shame to say it. 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Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Adidas Superstar Sale Uk . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No.Anderson Silva’s evolution into an all-time great wouldnt have happened without a spell in London, according to the man who brought him to these shores over a decade ago. The Brazilian legend is considered among the elite handful of cage competitors after a majestic run as UFC middleweight champion which resulted in some of the sports most iconic knockouts - made possible after he perfected his craft in Dave ODonnells Cage Rage.Silva (33-6-1) will next fight Englands premier UFC representative Michael Bisping (27-7) in London, returning to the city where his flamboyant but vicious style was developed. We brought Anderson over to lose to Lee Murray but, when he didnt, we realised we had a star in the making. Promoter Dave ODonnell ODonnell signed the up-and-coming Silva to his domestic promotion in 2004 as cannon fodder for English fighters but soon accepted the brilliant Brazilian import would outgrow them.We brought Anderson over to lose [a Cage Rage title fight] to Lee Murray but, when he didnt, we realised we had a star in the making, ODonnell exclusively told Sky Sports. He had knockout after knockout in London, then the UFC rightly snapped him up. Silva was beginning to demonstrate the ferocity that made him the UFCs best ever middleweight Anderson Silva: The stats Age: 40 Birthplace: Curitiba, Brazil Height/Reach: 62 / 77 Nickname: The Spider We signed Anderson the same way we brought all the biggest names over - we waited for the right moment, when theyd had a loss and needed rebuilding. With Murray being a rising star over here, it was something Anderson could get his teeth into.Twelve years ago, the 29-year-old prospect Silva boasted a 13-2 record earned in his homeland and Japan. He had been beaten just a year prior to touching down for the first of four fights at Wembleys Conference Centre that have since become the stuff of legend.But Silva annihilated Cage Rage favourite Murray to shock the home crowd, crippling his legs en route to a unanimous decision. It quickly dawned on promoter ODonnell that the quiet boy from the streets of Curitiba had something. Silva won all four fights in England but upcoming opponent Michael Bisping is also undefeated in his home country When he first came over to fight Murray he was booed, but by the end of the fight he was respected and nobody could wait for him to come back, said ODonnell. Lee wanted to fight the worlds best and we thought Anderson would be a test.A lot of Brazilians back in those days would just go to the ground but Anderson was different, always coming up with new tricks, he was the Bruce Lee of MMA.Yet his development wasnt yet completed - after torching the best that London had to offer, Silva surprisingly lost a fight in Japan by submission. Back to the drawing board. I brought [Silva] to a gym to do a seminar a few days before he knocked out Tony Fryklund with a reverse elbow.dddddddddddd He practiced that move in the seminar and we all thought whats he doing? Promoter Dave ODonnell Sensing his opportunity, ODonnell tempted Silva back to The Big Smoke, having lined up stern American opposition. Jorge Rivera and Curtis Stout were promptly knocked out but, when Silva travelled to Hawaii for his next fight, he lost via disqualification. His silky skills were obvious but he just needed one spark to truly ignite his rise, and it would come with a never-repeated stoppage win on his next return to London.I brought him to a gym to do a seminar a few days before he knocked out Tony Fryklund with a reverse elbow, ODonnell recalled. He practiced that move in the seminar and we all thought whats he doing? That was on the Thursday, he went and did it on Saturday. He never played safe.The technique in question had never been seen, and since 2006 hasnt been repeated in top-level MMA. Silva, from a southpaw stance, connected with an elbow strike thrown like a boxers lead-hand uppercut. His opponent crashed downwards, the crowd were eerily silent as they digested what had happened, and one of the UFCs future icons was born. Silva went on to bamboozle Forrest Griffin in the UFC Anderson Silva: The records 33-6-1 (20 KOs, 6 submissions) Most UFC title defenses (10) Most finishes in the UFC (14) Longest win streak in UFC history (16) Longest UFC title reign (2457 days) Highest significant strike accuracy in UFC (67.8%) He was quickly poached by the riches of the Las Vegas-based organisation, as ODonnell expected. Such a magnificent knockout signalled a step forwards in the growth of MMA that, a decade ago, was dominated by rough-and-tumble brawlers. Two months later, Silva needed 49 seconds to win his Vegas debut.He twice stopped middleweight champion Rich Franklin and built the best winning streak in UFC history spanning 16 fights, 10 of which were for the world title. His limited grasp of English, increasingly unique offence and respectful demeanour was a throwback to The Karate Kid movie. Silva last fought in January 2015 but his win over Nick Diaz was overturned into a no contest From the beginning he was humble, ODonnell noted. He was an animal in the cage but a nice bloke outside it. Some guys just have an aura - when he walked into a room you said theres something special about him.Two defeats to Chris Weidman, including a gruesome broken leg, plus a failed drugs test have dampened the past three years but Silva is aiming for revitalisation in his spiritual home of London once again. Bisping: No Silva service Michael Bisping had plenty to say about Anderson... Also See: Bisping: No Silva service Bispings ups and downs UFC More sports ' ' '