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Warriors head coach reflects on his love for tennis and speaks of his favourite players
Steve Kerr, the head coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, knows something about winning. He claimed five championships as a player, and has won three titles in the past four years as a coach.

So when the longtime tennis fan, who has spent time at the US Open this week, says he’s impressed, that holds weight.

“The sport is one that I just really connect with and I love watching the modern-day player,” Kerr told ATPWorldTour.com. “I mean the guys on the men’s side right now, this is as good as it will ever get. These guys are some of the greatest players of all-time.”

Kerr follows the bigger tournaments from afar, and he comes to New York, where his wife is from, to enjoy the world’s best compete in person.

“I love coming here,” Kerr said. “It works out well with our schedule with the NBA because we don’t start training camp until September. So this is always kind of a fun vacation, an unbelievable sporting event for us. I love tennis, love watching these guys, love New York, so it’s always a great week.”

Federer
Photo Credit: Golden State Warriors
Kerr’s experience with tennis has not come solely at the US Open, though. The Warriors were in Shanghai last October for an exhibition game during the Rolex Shanghai Masters. One thing led to another and Roger Federer visited the team in its locker room. Kerr remembers his players ‘peppering him with questions’, and Federer’s response to one in particular stood out.

“That was amazing,” Kerr said. “Draymond Green asked him, ‘How have you been able to stay on top for so long?’ Because that’s what we’re trying to do with the Warriors. We’re trying to keep it going and it’s hard. Roger’s been doing it forever. His answer was so profound. He talked about his work-life balance, how much he loves his life. He loves his family. He loves his daily routine of taking his kids to school and practising and playing tennis and cooking dinner. He reminded me a lot of Steph Curry in that regard. He’s taken what could be a very complex life and really distilled it down into a simple, joyful one, and I think our guys really took something with that.”

And, as Kerr says, there are some similarities between basketball and tennis that he appreciates.

“The movement is very similar. It’s one of the reasons I loved playing tennis. I can’t do it anymore, because my knees don’t hold up, but I loved playing for years after I retired because the movements were all very similar,” Kerr said. “You’re chasing a ball, you’re down in a crouch. A defensive stance in basketball is the same position you’d be in in tennis, getting ready for your next shot. Lateral movements, up and back, jumping up to hit a lob, whatever.”

It is safe to say the coach has been able to see plenty of that in Flushing Meadows. And you won’t be surprised by who some of his favourite players to watch are.

“Roger is Roger. Everyone likes watching him. [Novak] Djokovic is a favourite of mine. I love his movement on the court. He just seems to cover everything side to side. He’s so fast and agile. It’s hard not to like [Rafael] Nadal. Very unique, just with the spin that he puts on the ball. He looks like a linebacker out there. He’s such a physical force. But I love those guys,” Kerr said. “I was a big Andy Roddick fan while he played. I was always cheering for Andy. But really I love this era. I think, as a tennis fan, we’re lucky to be in this era where we probably have three of the top six or seven players of all-time playing right now and they have been playing over the past decade or so at just an incredibly high level.”

Now, it’s safe to say Kerr’s Warriors are doing just fine. But would he give any of the ATP World Tour’s players a shot?

“Gosh. I might go with Djokovic,” Kerr said. “I think he can guard anybody. He moves his feet extremely well. Side to side, I think he can stay in front of anybody. I think he’d be good in the fast break. I’d like to see him on a basketball court.”

But first, you can catch the two-time US Open champion on the tennis court Wednesday night as he faces John Millman in the quarter-finals.

The semifinal stage is set after Novak Djokovic, Madison Keys, Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka notched Day 10 victories in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic and Keys put on performances that showed why they came into their quarterfinal bouts as favorites: after Keys defeated Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-3, 6-4, Djokovic led by an identical scoreline after two sets against John Millman before closing out the match, 6-4, in set three.

It was a Japanese double-feature in the day session, as Nishikori and Osaka made history by becoming the first Japanese man and woman to reach the semifinals in the same major.

Here's more on the four quarterfinal matches.

Djokovic tames Aussie Millman: Millman became an overnight star when he defeated Roger Federer in Round 4, but Djokovic took top billing in the Wednesday nightcap. It was the Serb's third consecutive three-set victory, but he was made to work for two hours and 49 minutes in a match that was much closer than the scoreline suggested. Millman dropped serve four times on 20 break points, while Djokovic erased the only one he faced.

After Djokovic raced out to a 3-1 lead in the final set, Millman fought back one last time to edge in front. But ultimately, the 13-time Grand Slam champ was too solid in an entertaining affair, and he won the match's final three games to advance to the semis. Since 2007, Djokovic has reached the US Open semifinal in each of his 11 New York appearances. (He did not play in 2017.)

Photos: Carla Suárez Navarro vs. Madison Keys
September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys enters Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys enters Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro enters Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro enters Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Martina Hingis does the coin toss for the match between Madison Keys and Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Martina Hingis does the coin toss for the match between Madison Keys and Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Lindsay Davenport watches Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Lindsay Davenport watches Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys in action against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Carla Suarez Navarro in action against Madison Keys during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys reacts to winning against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys reacts to winning against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys reacts to winning against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys reacts to winning against Carla Suarez Navarro during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys and Carla Suarez Navarro meet at net during the 2018 US Open.September 5, 2018 - Madison Keys and Carla Suarez Navarro meet at net during the 2018 US Open.
Keys returns to semifinals: The 23-year-old Keys is already a seasoned veteran in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and her experience in the spotlight showed on Wednesday night as she served her way into the final four. The 2017 finalist was nearly flawless in her 10 service games, saving the two break points she faced in winning 80 percent of her first-serve points.

The American is the highest-seeded woman left in the draw, at No. 14, and will face No. 20 Naomi Osaka for a spot in the finals.

play video Highlights: Kei Nishikori vs. Marin Cilic - QF
Nishikori's revenge: Four years after Marin Cilic beat him in the 2014 final, Nishikori exacted revenge with a five-set victory on Day 10. It was a back-and-forth battle throughout, with the momentum shifting even deep into the deciding set. Nishikori scored an early break in the fifth, only for Cilic to level the decider at 4-4. But with the Croat serving to stay in the match, Nishikori ended it with his fifth break on the day. After four hours and eight minutes, he advanced, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4, 4-6.

The Japanese spent some time on the ATP Challenger Tour earlier this season as he eased back from a right-wrist injury that he sustained in the buildup to last year’s US Open; he’s come a long way since then, all the way back to his third New York semifinal.

The US Open is the only Slam in which Nishikori has reached the final four, having done so in 2014, 2016 and again this year. His semifinal matchup with Djokovic will be a repeat of the 2014 semi, which Nishikori won in five.

Osaka into first Slam semi: The innocent 20-year-old was ruthless in taking out Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 6-1, in the day's Ashe opener. Though she admits to being shy, Osaka stepped into the spotlight of the 23,771-seat stadium and put on another big-hitting clinic, firing 12 winners and five aces as she made quick work of the Ukrainian.

Osaka, who had never been beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam, has backed up her Indian Wells title with a dominant run in New York. Outside of her three-set, fourth-round slugfest against No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka, Osaka has lost just nine games in four US Open victories.

DOUBLES WRAP: Americans Mike Bryan and Jack Sock advanced to the men's semifinals, while top-seeded Czechs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova avoided an upset in the women's draw.

JUNIOR WRAP: Girls' No. 2 seed Alexa Noel lost in her second-round match, while most of the other seeds advanced.

DAY 11 PREVIEW: Two women’s semifinals headline primetime at the 2018 US Open on Day 11, as four of the sport’s ultimate talents square off in this event’s penultimate round. The evening’s first offering features Serena Williams taking on Anastasija Sevastova, while the second half of the twi-night doubleheader showcases the clash between Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys.