Daniil Medvedev could not prevent Novak Djokovic from making history again as he overcame the Russian 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to win the U.S. Open on Sunday and tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories.
After winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Djokovic’s triumph at Flushing Meadows, his fourth in ten finals, ended a tremendous season. He will reclaim the top spot in the global rankings when they are updated later on Monday.
Although Djokovic came close again, losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, no one has won a calendar Grand Slam in the last 54 years.
However, he is now enjoying his 24th Slam.
It means a great deal to me, he said. “I’m truly living the ideal I had as a youngster.
It isn’t easy to put into words how incredible it is that our sport has made history.
When I was seven or eight years old, “I wanted to be the greatest player in the world.
Djokovic is staking his claim to the title of greatest tennis player of all time as he continues living his ambition.
Djokovic, 36, is now the oldest man to win the U.S. Open in the Open Era, but the Serb is still hungry for a Grand Slam, and he had some bad news for his younger competitors.
He joked in around 23 or 24 years, I would retire from tennis. I suppose you’ll see me a little more till then.
“At this time, I haven’t decided how many Slams I want to win.
They will remain at the top of my priority list because that is where I want to play my best tennis.
TRIBUTE TO KOBE
On Sunday, when the fans erupted in jubilation, Djokovic hurled his racket into the air and fell to his knees after winning his historic championship.
After regaining his composure, he went to his small daughter, sitting courtside, and gave her a tearful embrace. He then returned to the bench and pulled out a T-shirt that said “Mamba Forever” on the front and the number 24 on the back.
The jersey served as an homage to both his accomplishment and his buddy Kobe Bryant, a legendary player for the Los Angeles Lakers who wore the number for most of his all-star career before his tragically in a helicopter accident.
If I could, I thought of making this T-shirt. Ultimately, making this T-shirt was a good buddy, and we often spoke about having a winning attitude.
He was one of the people I depended on most while battling injury.
There was little of the energy that erupted through Arthur Ashe during the women’s final on Saturday until the conclusion of the match since neither Djokovic nor Medvedev had been welcomed by the New York spectators.
As the match got underway, Djokovic entered the court and turned to face Medvedev, who was again separating him from history as he had been two years before.
The final of the 2021 U.S. Open saw the Russian win his sole major and deny the Serb the coveted calendar Grand Slam. This was the last time the two faced off there.
On the way to the final, Djokovic avoided talking about getting even and mentioned defeat as a lesson.
According to Djokovic, who missed the previous year’s Slam owing to COVID-19 limitations, “I haven’t played any tournament on American soil for two years.”
“I tried my best over the last 48 hours to keep the significance of the situation and what’s at stake from clouding my judgment.
“That’s what occurred two years ago, and I couldn’t play my best and was outplayed.
“So I took a lesson from this.”
KIDDING INSULT
Nearly every point was fought with lengthy rallies as both players hammered away from the baseline, as would be anticipated in a match involving the two best hardcourt players in the sport.
Djokovic started the match with determination and immediately put pressure on the third seed, breaking him at the first available chance en route to a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic would only need one break to defeat a shockingly flat Medvedev, who could not play at the “12 out of 10” level that he said he attained while defeating the reigning champion Alcaraz in the semifinals.
Medvedev forced A faltering Djokovic into long grinding points after long grinding points during a protracted one hour and 44-minute second set.
But the relentless Russian’s efforts were in vain, as he failed to take advantage of a break opportunity that would have awarded him the set at 6-5.
In the tie-break, Medvedev surged ahead 3-1 but could not deliver the decisive blow as Djokovic came off the ropes to win 7-5 and take a 2-0 lead.
If Djokovic has one quality, it’s a killer instinct, and the Serbian lost no time capitalizing on this, breaking Medvedev to lead 3-1 in the third.
Medvedev responded defiantly with his first and only break of the tournament. Still, it was insufficient as Djokovic immediately reacted with another break and held service the rest of the way to win the match and the championship.
