The US Open final won’t be a rematch of Wimbledon, but it will still be a rematch. Instead of Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in England, Novak Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev: the man who two years ago, right here on Center Court at Flushing Meadows, robbed him of every tennis player’s forbidden dream: a great slam. Djokovic had won three finals in a row at as many majors, but one step away from heaven he had to bow to the unsightly and highly effective genius of the Moscow Demon. “The problem is that someone won 23 Grand Slam tournaments, and I only won one,” Daniil joked. Last time I played above my level against him here, so I’ll have to do it again. There is no alternative”
Arthur Ashe, as usual, is full of celebrities – from Charlize Theron to Jon Bon Jovi, from Kevin Durant to Tom Brady – meanwhile it is Alcaraz’s turn to take a Russian lesson in four sets (7-6 6-1 3-6 6 – 3). Alcaraz, who has already beaten Medvedev twice this year, in Indian Wells and Wimbledon, but was often out of focus last night, below his standard. Due to too many mistakes, including those made at decisive moments, he gave the second set to Medvedev, also losing in the tiebreaker. In the third, his level rose, and the match resumed, and the audience was at least 80 percent in his favor: sometimes even in an annoying way, nagging and annoying Daniil during the serve (and he, as usual, reacted with some small talk). Carlitos hoped to hold out the match until the fifth place, where he was practically unbeatable (9-1), in the first four he again found Medvedev in excellent form, truly a Demon, capable of defending the field as well as him, hitting shots with serve and return with a flat return pulled him five meters by the head, but quickly and mercilessly. Alcaraz played some fantastic volleys and then capitulated. A decisive break took Daniil to 4-2, the Spaniard at 5-3 had a last chance with three break points when Medvedev made two double faults on the first match point, but the Russian’s determination and another Nino error closed the matter. .
“I said that from 0 to 10 against Carlos I would have to play as 11, but I played as 12,” he joked at the end. Against Djokovic, he will also need praise.