Novak Djokovic continues to write his legend. By winning his fourth US Open on Sunday against Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, “Nole” equals the absolute record of 24 Grand Slam titles held by Australian Margaret Court since US Open 1973.
Djokovic became the most successful player in men’s Grand Slams when he won his 23rd title at Roland Garros in June, overtaking Rafael Nadal. At 36, he also becomes world No. 1 again this Monday and begins a record 390th week in this place.
A final synonymous with revenge
To further mark the history of tennis, Djokovic won his fourth US Open in ten finals played. Like a revenge: it was on this Arthur-Ashe court that he experienced one of his greatest disillusionments when in 2021, the same Medvedev deprived him of the feat of achieving a calendar Grand Slam.
But this time, the Serb arrived without the emotional pressure that had paralyzed him in 2021. It still took him 3 hours 17 minutes of grueling exchanges to get the better of Medvedev. On several occasions the two players found themselves on the ground more or less voluntarily and took the opportunity to catch their breath.
Djokovic started the match better: he took advantage of Medvedev’s hesitation to steal his service immediately, lead 3-0 and maintained his advantage until the end, without having to save a single break point.
But the Russian held up much better in the second set, even if his stubbornness in placing himself extremely far from the baseline on Djokovic’s serve allowed the Serb to win many points quite easily by serving/volleying. Medvedev offered himself his first break point of the match, to lead 5-3, but Djokovic saved it with an exceptional cushioned cross-court half-volley.
A classic toilet break
Obviously, Djokovic suffered physically during this round. He lay down on the ground to catch his breath between two exchanges, he rested several times with his hands on his knees, used an ice pack when changing sides, placed behind the back of his neck while he was being blow air on the face. However, the roof had been closed due to the rain which had drenched New York until the middle of the night and the court had air conditioning. Djokovic then saved a set point at 5-6, but he snatched the tie-break that Medvedev offered him on a backhand unforced error in the net.
While Djokovic went out for his famous bathroom break, Medvedev had his left shoulder massaged on court. Djokovic gave a final push in the third set, as if not to risk the match dragging on. He quickly managed the break to lead 3-1. But he could not confirm and Medvedev returned. In the process, the Serb again took his opponent’s service and this time he confirmed to lead 5-2. And under the “Nole” of the public, he served for the match at 5-3.