Medvedev Leaves Tearful Djokovic Reeling in New York

Tennis records were on the line, the hype had been building all year, building towards what promised to be a monumental US Open final at Flushing Meadows, as the crowd waited expectantly to see history in the making. Novak Djokovic was just one game away from reaching yet more incredible milestones, yet in the end it wasn’t to be. Destiny intervened in the most spectacular of ways, producing an astonishing and largely unexpected result.

This year Djokovic had already triumphed the Australian Open title in Melbourne, the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris, then the Wimbledon Championship in London. Winning the US Open would have completed a spectacular sweep of all four Grand Slam titles in one calendar year, which hasn’t been achieved since Rod Laver way back in 1969. That perhaps underlines how difficult the feat is to achieve, now remaining unmatched for at least another year.

One more Grand Slam title would also be the twenty-first for Djokovic, putting him ahead of both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who like the Serbian superstar have twenty major tennis titles to their names. The odds were stacked heavily against US Open final opponent Daniil Medvedev, as was most of the crowd in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, although it was the Russian player who claimed the most memorable victory of his professional career.

It wasn’t his day, but it’s definitely been his year.

Take a bow, @DjokerNole 👏 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/myse317sEc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 12, 2021

Just to add some perspective, this was the first Grand Slam tournament Medvedev has ever won, although he has come agonizingly close on two previous occasions. In 2019 he reached the US Open final but was beaten by Nadal, although the Spaniard needed five sets to claim victory after a titanic match. Earlier this year Medvedev was defeated by Djokovic in the 2021 Australian Open final. It seems the fates decreed this would be his third time lucky.

Following this most surprising of defeats for Djokovic, the 34-year-old was visibly left reeling and in tears, clearly realizing how close he had come to making history at the US Open, only for that opportunity to slip from his grasp. Of course, he will still have time to extend his record of Grand Slam title victories, although the chance to win all four major tournaments in one year may never come any closer.

Meanwhile, the joy for Medvedev was clear for everyone to see, as he dedicated the victory to his wife. Coincidentally, the day of the US Open final was also their third wedding anniversary, with the Russian admitting he hadn’t had time to buy his wife a present. In his post-match address, he hoped that winning the US Open title would provide a fitting enough gift, much to the amusement of the crowd and, of course, his wide Daria.

Daniil Medvedev stuns Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ksup0ClAEI

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021

During the match itself, Medvedev thoroughly earned his final victory by defeating Djokovic in straight sets; 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Certainly, this was a fitting outcome after having performed so well throughout the US Open tournament, given the 25-year-old had only dropped one set on his path to the final, against Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals.

Still, akin to winning the biggest prizes on a slot machine, the chances of Medvedev beating Djokovic were slender. Nevertheless, the Russian hit the jackpot and that will no doubt inspire casino games developer Pragmatic Play, when coming up with their next slots themed around sporting success. The award-winning studio has earned a strong reputation for quality and fairness, albeit with the company retaining their grounded and realistic personality.

Achieving such great success takes plenty of effort and in the same way, Medvedev had been pragmatic about his chances of beating Djokovic, especially having already lost against the Serbian in the 2021 Australian Open final this year. “I learned that I have to be much better,” was his calm and honest review of that encounter. Little could Medvedev have imagined, he would get another chance to beat Djokovic, and in the end, do so in such a convincing way.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.