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Daniil Medvedev ends Novak Djokovic’s bid for calendar slam at US Open

September 13, 2021
Henry Club

One game from the end of his bid for what would be the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969, Novak Djokovic covered his face with a towel, hiding his tears during a makeover.

For 27 Grand Slam matches in 2021, Djokovic could not be beaten, could not be defeated on hard court, clay court and grass. Needing another win against Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final on Sunday, to complete a season sweep of major titles and claim the 21st record of his career, Djokovic couldn’t come.

Outplayed by someone using a style similar to his, Djokovic came just short of those two historic milestones, 6-4, 6-4, 6- over first-time major champion Medvedev at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Lost by 4.

Ranked No. 1 Djokovic had a stellar run in four of the sport’s most important tournaments, bearing the burden of expectations and pressure in New York over the past seven months and the past two weeks.

He defeated Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open in February, then added titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July.

But the 34-year-old Djokovic of Serbia could not score 28-0. He was far from at his best on this particular day.

He made mistakes, 38 unforced errors in all. He wasn’t able to convert a break chance until it was too little, too late, going just 1 for 6. He also showed dismay, destroying his racket by pounding three times against the court after one point, receiving a boon from a crowd of 25,703 and a code violation from chair umpire Damien Dumusois.

Djokovic had a lot of issues with number 2-ranked Medvedev, who used his 6-foot-6 (1.98-m) frame to chase everything and responded with a seemingly effortless groundstroke – The way Djokovic shoots down enemies – and delivered pinpoint servings. Medvedev won 20 of his first 23 service points, setting a pattern.

He finished with 16 aces and 38 winners, 11 more than Djokovic. After overcoming several double faults at match point, Medvedev finally got the job done, then fell on the court by his side.

With six victories on hard courts at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic reached his record-equalling 31st Grand Slam final. But he didn’t get the last thing he needed.

He is tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 major titles.

And the last man to complete a true Grand Slam, scoring 4 for 4 in the Major in a single season, is Rod Laver, who did it twice – in 1962 and 1969 – and in the stands on Sunday. The last woman to achieve this feat was Steffi Graf in 1988.

Instead, Djokovic joined as men with Jack Crawford in 1933 and Lew Hoad in 1956, winning the first trio of Grand Slam tournaments of the year and making the finals of the US Open before losing.

Djokovic turned out to be a bit cold on Sunday, double-faulting in each of his opening two service games and mixing in enough groundstroke miscalculations – nodding his head or rolling his eyes after something – that at 12 minutes, Medvedev was a point from the second break. and a 3-0 lead. Djokovic eventually used aces at 117 mph and 124 mph, but it was Medvedev who stole the show in the early stages.

It was the fifth consecutive match in which Djokovic dropped the first set – and 11th in a Grand Slam game this year – but unlike other instances, he could not come back to win.

Djokovic got Love-40 in Medvedev’s first serve game of the second set, but didn’t get any of the break points. On third, Djokovic inserted a shredded backhand into the net, then patted his racket on his left thigh—one, two, three, four times, perhaps as frustrated as anything in his footwork.

Thousands of spectators chanted his nickname, “No-lay! No-take! No-lay!” After some faults from Medvedev, some in the stands applauded, considered poor form in tennis, and were repeatedly warned with a “please” from Dumusois.

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