Novak Djokovic once again etched his name in sports history this Sunday in New York. The Serbian celebrated his 24th Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 US Open victory over Daniil Medvedev and will meet Rafael ·The gap between Rafael Nadal widened to 2 games (22 games) and 4 games. Roger Federer (20). Thus, the Serbian continues to climb his own eternal pinnacle: he joins Margaret Court as the only two players to have won 24 Grand Slam trophies.
Djokovic will regain the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings tomorrow, replacing Carlos Alcaraz, thereby claiming his fourth U.S. Open title (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023) and the entire Ranked 96th overall in his career.
“Making history in this sport is truly something extraordinary and special,” Djokovic said at the ceremony. “Obviously, in every possible sense, in every possible meaning of the word special. It’s hard to put it into words. I had a dream when I was seven or eight years old. I wanted to be the best player in the league. “World and win trophies. Wimbledon. This is the only thing I want. “
“But then, when I realized it, obviously I started dreaming about new challenges and setting new goals, new goals. I never thought I’d be standing here with you guys talking about 24 Grand Slams. “
This is the second time in three years that Djokovic and Medvedev have met in the US Open final. In 2021, Medvedev defeated Djokovic 6-4 6-4 6-4, preventing the Serbian from winning four Grand Slam titles in the same year. This Sunday, Medvedev takes to the court to try to win his second Grand Slam title in his fifth final.
Djokovic reached his 10th U.S. Open final in 17 matches and is expected to become the oldest player to win the tournament in the Open era, surpassing Ken Rosewall (35) who won in 1970.
Djokovic holds the record for the most U.S. Open men’s singles finals in the Open era (Djokovic 10 times, Lendl 8 times, Sampras 8 times, Connors 7 times, Federer 7 times) , lost the last precedent with Medvedev in the Dubai semifinals this year. Nonetheless, Djokovic defeated the world No. 3 9-5 in the Lexus ATP clash.
Djokovic took charge in the final and opened things up for his opponents. As a result, the Serbian took a 3-0 lead in just over 10 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium after breaking Medvedev’s serve and confirming his advantage.
Although Medvedev tried to equalize the first set again, Djokovic remained steadfast and attacked from the backcourt to end the first set of the final and attack the championship.
With Medvedev’s stronger serve the key to allowing the No. 3 player to be broken early in the match and ultimately losing the first set, Djokovic found himself facing a head-to-head battle with the score tied. .
That persistence gave Medvedev his first break chance one hour and 40 minutes into the final, but Djokovic canceled it with a beautiful volley into the net. That persistence allowed Medvedev to take a set point the rest of the way, which would allow him to tie the final and start a new match.
However, Djokovic fought back, fought to a draw with his opponent in the deciding game, and then gritted his teeth and won the second round. The game lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, and both of them gave an unforgettable performance. A convincing performance, but they put in extremely high physical demands.
So after losing the second set, Medvedev asked for treatment on his left shoulder, while Djokovic went to the bathroom to try to recover after a huge effort to get closer to the title.
Photo: Getty Images
With everything going in his favor, Djokovic tipped the balance early in the third set, celebrating an early break and taking a 3-1 lead on his way to victory.
Medvedev did not want to admit defeat and refused to admit defeat, he immediately broke him, but Djokovic broke him again (4-2) and this time finally won the long-awaited victory.
Djokovic finished the match with an 81% first-server scoring rate, 20 of 22 points at the net, and 38 winners (due to 35 unforced errors), all in 3 hours and 17 minutes Data against Medvedev.
Just like that, one day, Djokovic wrote in golden letters another page of his history in the world of tennis and sports. The Serbian is an impeccable, boundless athlete.
“I fell in love with tennis. No one in my family had played tennis before, so it was a pretty difficult choice,” Djokovic said. “But I have incredible resilience and I give credit to my parents and all the people that have been around me over the years. My wife, my kids, my team, everyone out there, you name it. , is also my title.” This is your success. I love you. “
“24. I think my career is pretty good, I have 20 championships and you have 24 Grand Slams. Unbelievable,” Medvedev said. “Congratulations to you and your team. You guys are incredible.”
did you know…?
This year’s US Open men’s singles final between Djokovic (36 years old) and Medvedev (27 years old) is the oldest in the Open era. They are 63 years and 9 months old. The previous record belonged to the 2022 confrontation between Pete Sampras (31 years old) and Andre Agassi (32 years old).