The doubts that persist about Novak Djokovic’s mental and physical fitness at this US Open are no less intact after Thursday’s quarter-final win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but at the present rate it’s unclear how much they will matter.

The world No1 is through to the US Open semi-finals for a 10th consecutive year after Tsonga retired with an apparent knee injury one point into the third set trailing 6-3, 6-2, 0-15, marking Djokovic’s third passage by default in four matches since a first-round win over Jerzy Janowicz.

That means the defending champion is into the last four having played a total of 84 games – and only nine complete sets – with less time spent on court (6hr 26min) than most transatlantic flights. The primrose path includes a second-round walkover by Jiří Veselý, the young Czech who’d beaten Djokovic in Monte-Carlo in their lone previous meeting, followed by retirements by Mikhail Youzhny in the third round and Tsonga in Tuesday night’s headliner.

“I’m in the semi-finals, so that’s what matters for me the most, to be able to play as well as I did in fourth round and today in the quarter-finals for at least a couple of sets,” Djokovic said. “I thought that I came out with the right intensity. The quality of my game and level of performance has raised in last couple of days, which obviously encourages me prior to the last four.

“I put myself in a position again to be one match away from the finals. As the tournament progresses, I feel like I’m getting better. Of course this grand slam is very unique for me. I never experienced something like this to have three retirements on the road to the semi-finals.”

Tsonga came out strongly behind a booming first serve hit with pace and accuracy, but it betrayed him in the sixth game of the opener when he started with consecutive double faults and was broken.

The world No11 managed to break back in the next game when he tried to pass Djokovic with a two-handed backhand down the line at the end of a 10-shot rally and the top seed pushed a makeable volley into the net. But Djokovic broke again for 5-3 in the following game as Tsonga’s serve continued to short-circuit, then served it out to take the opener in 35 minutes.

Djokovic needed only three games to break in the second set, shortly before a perceptible limp interrupted the Frenchman’s gait. By then Tsonga’s hesitance to chase down shots augured the outcome. He took a medical timeout after Djokovic broke him again for 5-2, lying on the court as a trainer worked on his left knee and thigh. When play resumed Djokovic rattled off three quick points and closed out the set with a 118mph ace down the middle, the Serb’s first and only of the night.

After double-faulting to open the third set, a dejected Tsonga made the slow approach to chair umpire Mohd Lahyani from the baseline, handing Djokovic the victory in 1hr 23min amid scattered jeers from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.

“It’s something I had already in the past, so I know exactly what’s happened,” Tsonga said. “I knew it was over for me straightaway, because when I have my knee, of course, it’s already tough to play against one of the best tennis players. But when I don’t have my knee, I have no chance to come back from two sets to love. So for me, it’s important to save what I can save.”

Any questions over Djokovic’s supremacy would have been dismissed as paranoid delusion at the outset of summer after he completed the career grand slam at Roland Garros to become the first man to capture four straight majors since Rod Laver in 1969. But then came a shock defeat to Sam Querrey in the third round of Wimbledon, which abruptly snapped his streak of 28 grand slam quarter-final appearances, followed by a tearful opening-round exit to Juan Martín del Potro at the Rio Olympics, which saw a wrist injury resurface and prompted the surprise admission that “private issues” had compromised his run at a calendar-year grand slam.
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The collective trend has made Djokovic’s form the most intriguing subplot at the season-ending grand slam. But the 12-times major champion dismissed concerns that his historic dearth of competitive match play could compromise his edge heading into the final rounds.

“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. I got a lot of days off and recovered my body. Right now I’m feeling very close to the peak. That’s the position where I want to be.”

Now he progresses to face Gaël Monfils, who saw off French upstart Lucas Pouille earlier Tuesday to make a grand slam semi-final for the first time in eight years. It’s a favourable matchup for Djokovic, who has won each of the 12 matches they’ve played.

“He’s one of the few players that I would definitely pay a ticket to watch,” Djokovic said. “He’s very charismatic. Plays with a smile. Enjoys tennis. Enjoys life.

“But also, he seems more focused at this time of his career. Especially on the hard court this year maybe he’s playing the best tennis he ever played. He’s very consistent. He hasn’t dropped a set until the semis. That says a lot about the level he’s on. Definitely expecting a tough battle.”