After failing to capture the gold in the recent Tokyo Olympics for a rare Golden Slam, one of the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) candidates in tennis, Novak Djokovic, will have to postpone his dream of a Calendar Grand Slam this year. After losing to ATP top 2 Daniil Medvedev in a stunning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 match, fans felt the frustration that reduced the world number 1 to covering his face with a towel to hide his sobs and tears.
Surely, many were wondering what was going through Djokovic's head while sitting at his courtside chair after the match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the U.S. Open finals. Winning the title would have made him the 3rd in men's singles to achieve the feat after Don Budge (1937) and Rod Laver (1962, 1969), and the 5th overall with Steffi Graf (1988), Margaret Court (1970), and Maureen Connolly Brinker (1953) also among the winners' circle for Calendar Grand Slams. Winning the U.S. Open and the Tokyo gold medal would have made him the second after Graf to achieve a Golden Slam. It also could have broken his record ties with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most Grand Slam titles to have become the first to win a total of 21 at the height of his career.
Djokovic’s road to the U.S. Open final
Looking back, no one could have predicted that Djokovic would lose his bid for glory, much more in straight sets in the U.S. Open.
He opened with a qualifier during round 1, which boosted his confidence, even after losing the gold in Tokyo a few weeks back. Djokovic then defeated Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor in round 2 in straight sets before performing in a hard-fought match against 6th seeded Matteo Berrettini in the third round 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
During the first set of his pre-semifinal appearance, Djokovic failed to secure the opening set for the 5th straight time, which somehow foreshadowed things for the champion. Fortunately, the world number one regained his composure and delivered excellent precision in the succeeding sets, reducing his unforced errors from a high of 17 in the first set to only five by the final set.
At the semifinals match, German Alexander Zverev gave Djokovic a more challenging battle which lasted for five grueling sets. The match ended in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph for the top seed, positioning him just a win away from achieving the Calendar Grand Slam.
However, the contest didn't pick up until the 53-shot rally mark during the 3rd set that allowed Djokovic to win what was perhaps this year's tournament's longest rally. By the 4th set, Zverev seemed poised to deliver an early upset with a 6-4 win to force the 5th and final set. Exhaustion got the best of the German, who committed several unforced errors in the final games as he finally bowed out to Djokovic.
The final
At 34, Djokovic still has a chance to chase tennis immortality, even after being unable to stop the younger Medevedev's spectacular serves in the three-set sweep. The Serbian bowed to the Russian, who played the match calmly, patiently, and with a clear intent to ruin the top seed's run towards tennis glory while earning his first Grand Slam title in the process.
Delivering excellent serves one after the other, Djokovic found himself unable to answer Medvedev's spot-on shots early in the match. Resorting to an old-school-style of service motion, making his follow-through go forward through the ball instead of a lateral direction, Medvedev did have the physical advantage over Djokovic with his six-foot, six-inch frame. The Russian's height enables him to execute flat serves from higher tosses and limited knee-bends while arching his upper body forward for a killer serve that registers at an average of 122 miles per hour.
Every fan at the stadium saw how Medvedev's shot selection and placement worked against Djokovic, while shooting down the T for a total of 22 unreturned serves and 16 aces throughout the match.
In his previous matches, the world number one remained consistent in breaking his opponent to gain control of the game from the second set onwards. During the finals, Djokovic had a chance when Medvedev was down 0-40 in the second game of the second set. Eventually, two aces and a couple of errors overturned his streak. The missed break then dictated the remainder of the match.
With his service not working as usual at a low 54% compared to his semifinal performance against Zverev, wherein he landed 66% of his first serves, Medvedev outmatched Djokovic with the former's 81% first-serve return that earned the world number 2 a U.S. Open record.
Mental and physical challenges
Djokovic played more than 17 hours on court before reaching the finals. With four matches ending in four sets and a semifinal battle that lasted five, mental and physical fatigue undoubtedly played a part in his loss during the final. On the other hand, Medvedev played shorter sets on his way to the finals with a three-set win over Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime during the semifinals.
Djokovic later admitted that the long-set matches may have taken a toll on his finals performance, saying he felt slow during the entire match. Add to this the pressure of securing his first Calendar Grand Slam, and there's no question the contest became more of an emotional rollercoaster ride for the champion rather than his ticket to glory.
After all, he had also faced Zverev in the Tokyo Olympics semifinal, which ended the world number 1's bid for the goal and a Golden Slam. From how the finals match looked, it all boiled down to who reached the peak of exhaustion first, and sadly for Djokovic, a second wind favored Medvedev as both of them went to the finals.
However, the top seed maintained his class in defeat, acknowledging the better performance that Medvedev displayed while saying that he is looking forward to more opportunities in the future to achieve his dream. Djokovic had earlier trained with Zverev before the U.S. Open, which already gave him a hint of what was to come during their finals match. Somehow, this made the outcome a little easier for the defeated champion to accept.
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