By winning the US Open on Sunday, Daniil Medvedev played dream breakers so he could build his own. Author of a perfect match, the world No. 2 largely beaten, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, Novak Djokovic who thus fails to achieve the feat of a Grand Slam over a year. The Russian player, after losing two finals, finally landed in New York his first major tournament.
The disillusion is great for Djokovic. At the gates of the greatest feat of the Open era, the world No. 1 therefore failed to win the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open the same year. Rod Laver, present in the stands of the Arthur Ashe court, remains the last to have achieved this performance on the men’s side. It was in 1968 for the second time concerning him (1962), after Don Budge in 1938. Among the ladies, we must go back first to Steffi Graf (1988), Margaret Court (1970) and Maureen Connoly (1953).
Icy determination
But this time, the last step was much too high. Blame it on a Medvedev who made the game of his life. Marked by an icy determination, he was initially Imperial in service, often taking the risk of hitting his second balls with the same force as his first. The Russian thus achieved a perfect first set on his entry, with 6 aces in particular out of a total of 16. He also shone with his ability to accelerate with forehands and always counter-attack at the best time.
Opposite, Djokovic seemed completely overwhelmed by the pressure of the record at the end of his racket. It was not until the second set to see him have the opportunity to break. Three times in the first game. After failing, he slapped the racket several times on his right thigh and since it had not broken, he completely smashed it on the cement two games later, furious with it. still missed the opportunity, weighed down by yet another gross mistake. With a warning as a bonus.
Three match points
The Serbian then failed to get back into the match. Because Medvedev, past this brief threat, has never loosened the grip. He broke it immediately and continued to pressurize the world No. 1 to pocket the second set and go on with four games in a row in the third.
Almost 100% behind Djoko, the 23,000 or so spectators woke up when he finally broke for the first time the Russian, who suddenly became feverish after making a double fault on his first match point. But it was the Tsar the star. Despite another double fault on his second match point, he held on to the third, offered by a ball in the net from Djokovic. Almost elsewhere during the nanoseconds that followed, Medvedev let himself fall onto the court, receiving the fans’ standing ovation by way of oxygen. He deserved it because what he accomplished, no one had done this year.