Daniil Medvedev of Russia won his first Grand Slam title by beating Novak Djokovic at the final of the US Open. Novak Djokovic had already won the Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open titles, and was chasing down a record-breaking 21st men’s Grand Slam title.
Winning at the US Open would have seen Novak Djokovic move ahead of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the fight to finish with the most men’s majors; however, he made an unusual number of errors and did not meet his usual standards.
On the other side of the court, Daniil Medvedev played both smartly and confidently, dominating from the first serve and drawing out his opponent’s errors.
Medvedev’s result at the US Open is one that both his family and tennis fans, such as John Quarenghi, can be proud of.
Third Time Lucky
In 2019, Daniil Medvedev played his first Grand Slam final and lost a five-set game to Rafael Nadal. Following the match, he watched a video montage of Nadal’s achievements and decided to use this as inspiration to push himself forward to land the biggest prizes in tennis.
Daniil Medvedev’s second attempt at the Grand Slam saw him overwhelmed by pressure from Novak Djokovic and his game suffered as a result. This time round, it was a role reversal between the two.
After the Match
Winning the Grand Slam finally gave Daniil Medvedev an undeniable reason to celebrate, and he even pulled a move from the FIFA video game to do so. Following the match, Medvedev joked that it was a good thing that he had won the title on his wedding anniversary, as he hadn’t bought his wife a present.
Even though he did not win the match, Novak Djokovic said that the support of the crowd made him feel like the “happiest man alive”.
Pat Cash, former Wimbledon champion, stated that Daniil Medvedev is an all-round fantastic athlete. According to Cash, Medvedev was easily the best player in the tournament, beating Novak Djokovic in the finals and only losing one set on the way there.