Even the most ardent Novak Djokovic haters couldn’t have predicted Daniil Medvedev would beat him in straight sets in the US Open 2021 final.
True, the Russian youngster had only dropped one set on his way to the finals, but defeating the Serbian World No. 1 in a Grand Slam final 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 is a fairytale he would like recited to himself many times in the future.
In Flushing Meadows, the control had been in the Russians’ hands since the beginning of the night. He had a well-thought-out strategy and stuck to it. Medvedev strangled Djokovic with his serve, despite making three times as many double-faults as Djokovic (3).
Djokovic analyses where it went wrong
Novak Djokovic wept, smashed his racket, hit himself in the legs, cursed, and frowned on the court. The runner-up regained his composure during the post-game press conference, although he still appeared sad.
According to a report published by The Scroll, when an interviewer asked him about Daniil’s game, he said, “He was hitting his spots really well. He came out very determined on the court. You could feel that he was just at the highest of his abilities in every shot. He had a lot of clarity in what he needs to do tactically and he has executed it perfectly.”
Novak got three breakpoints in the second set’s second game to take an early break and turn the momentum, as he always does. Daniil’s incredible comeback, which included longer rallies, took everything away from the Serb, including his mental edge.
A simply stunning performance from @DaniilMedwed pic.twitter.com/0sF1r2CiNg
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Talking about what went wrong for him, Djokovic said, “My feeling on the court was not as good as the one I had in Paris. It’s just the energy I felt, slow.
“There was a turning point at the beginning of the second set, there were some breakpoints in the opening games of Medvedev in the second set, some 0-40.
“Just one shot here and there, I was very close, but who knows the trajectory of the match if you make a break in the second early, with crowd support… probably I would feel different…”
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