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As Daniil Medvedev stood in the Arthur Ashe Stadium tunnel ahead of the US Open final, the last man standing before Novak Djokovic’s historic grand slam attempt, he was asked in his pre-match interview exactly what he learned from his loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open Final in February. He replied calmly and without hesitation, “Well I’ve learned that I have to be a lot better.”
Over the next two hours, he just was. For the majority of his third major final, Medvedev intimidated Djokovic from the baseline, he erected a defensive wall over his half of the pitch, and he served as if he was standing from a tree. In the process, Medvedev foiled Djokovic’s shot to immortality, surpassing the world No.1 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win his first major US Open title.
Instead of the second grand slam of the open era, Medvedev achieved his own feat: a day after the crowning of the third grand female champion born in the 2000s, he was only the second male player born in the 1990s to win a major title. Medvedev is also the third Russian to win a major title after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin.
Although he reached the final after recording a perfect year in all four major events, many games for Djokovic have been tough. Djokovic had only completed one match in straight sets and his lost six sets were the most conceded en route to one of his 31 Grand Slam finals. By comparison, Medvedev had been flawless, losing just one set and spending five hours and 35 minutes less on the pitch.
At the start of the meeting, Djokovic was immediately in a bad mood. He led the opener 40-15 but Medvedev quickly locked himself in, dragging Djokovic into long rallies and sweeping away early unforced errors as the Serbian tried to evade them. Medvedev immediately responded to his first break with a ballistic serve game, crushing both first and second serves as he went through his first game to solidify his break.
While Medvedev easily went through his own service matches, Djokovic struggled. After retreating from a self-inflicted 0-2, 15-40 deficit, he held on until the end of the set, but his frequent serve-volley attempts, which he also used in his previous round against Alexander Zverev, suggested a lack of confidence in grassroots rallies with Medvedev.
Medvedev closed the first set with 15-15 first serve points won and only one double fault despite destroying the second serve.
The second set started with the familiar sight of resistance as Djokovic generated a triple breaking point in Medvedev’s first service game but wasted all three chances, slapping his thighs in anger after scoring a slice of routine.
Djokovic then generated two break points at 1-2 in the second set. On the first attempt, after returning the ball, the big screen malfunctioned halfway through, forcing them to replay the point. Medvedev then daringly saved both breaking points, one with a soft winning volley, then the second with a brilliant backhand on the line. In the midst of another wasted opportunity, Djokovic demolished his racquet, lost the game and then immediately conceded his serve.
Despite his famous ability to recover from any deficit, Djokovic had passed out. Medvedev served the set coldly, then broke the serve to open the third set. As Medvedev locked onto the baseline, running through serve plays and punctuating winning points with calm fists skyward, Djokovic’s legs seemed heavier and heavier with each point. He obediently gave up the second break with a failed serve and volley attempt.
Medvedev stood on the baseline to serve for his first Grand Slam championship at 5-2, but as he reached the championship point he double faulted and lost the game. The mob, so often Djokovic’s nemesis over the years, roared the world number 1 as he held the service, who then sat in his seat and cried. At the second request, however, Medvedev kept his cool and finished the job.
As the eyes of the world rested on Djokovic, Medvedev slipped in to win his first major title. It is so deserved for a supreme player who arrived late at the top of his generation and who has continuously put himself in a position to succeed. It was her third Grand Slam final at 25, now both brimming with experience and at her physical peak. Prior to the tournament, it had been clear on his intentions to do his best to ensure that Djokovic, and no other player, could add to their major tally. He is a man of his word.
As for Djokovic, it has still been an incredible year. He notched his record weeks at No.1, which now stands at 337, he became the first man in history to win two of each Grand Slam and Masters 1000 tournament and he tied Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on 20 major titles. But there’s a reason no man has won a grand slam since 1969 and on a chilly September evening, as Djokovic worked to the finish line, it was clear to all.
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