2 years ago when Novak Djokovic faced Daniil Medvedev on this very turf, history was on the line with the then 34 year old trying to be the first person to complete the calendar slam since the great Steffi Graf did in 1988, but Medvedev that day turned out to be the party pooper comprehensively defeating Djokovic in 3 sets in quite an anti climatic manner
This time it was a similar scenario with Djokovic trying to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slams and the only man ever to win 24 slams in the history of the sport and Medvedev would be the obstacle he had to clear once again. This time he had no issues clearing the hurdle defeating the Russian in a 6-3,7-6(5),6-3 win and win a record extending 24th Grand Slam title.
Playing in front of a who’s who crowd, Djokovic was in his usual dominant form in the first set, never facing a break point, while hitting 12 winners in nine games. Entering Sunday’s final, Djokovic was 72-1 all-time at the US Open when winning the first set, with his only loss coming to Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 final.
The second set proved to be more competitive, as Djokovic and Medvedev exchanged games in a nail-biting back and forth, culminating in the Serb’s 7-5 tiebreak victory after an hour and 45 minutes. From there, with the momentum in his favor and a fourth US Open title a set away, Djokovic cruised to victory, needing only one championship point to seal the historic title.
By virtue of winning his first round match at this tournament, Djokovic also ensured that he will regain his place as world No 1 and extend his all-time record to 390 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. He will return to the top with a bullet. Djokovic is the oldest US Open champion in the Open era, and he has now won the tournament four times. The Serb is also the first man to have won three grand slam titles in a season on four separate occasions.
This win further strengthens his case for being the GOAT of Tennis although in my personal view, who is the GOAT really in the depends on personal preferences and perspectives, But to not include Novak Djokovic in Tennis's GOAT conversation is to run a fool's errand
Yash,
Nice, very well written article. You have perfectly described the victory of Djokovic. Keep it up !!