It might sound like a hyperbole to say that the 2021 U.S. Open featured the most important match ever for men’s tennis, but when you hear the stakes, you might agree too. Novak Djokovic was competing for two legendary tennis records. Not only was he playing for the slam record (currently tied at 20) for a men’s player, but he was also competing for the calendar slam, a feat that has not been accomplished for a male player since 1969 when Rod Laver won every slam throughout a single season.
Though Novak missed out on the “Golden Slam” by not winning the Tokyo Olympics, he could have still added a massive trophy to his resume that his greatest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, do not have on theirs. This match, a potential fourth U.S. Open championship win, was essentially Djokovic’s chance to, for the first time, claim his reign as the greatest of all time. While some think that is already the case, few could have argued against it should he have won his twenty-first grand slam.
Daniil Medvedev is a name that many in the tennis world know all too well and have for years. A premier member of the “next gen” players, a title that outlines a group of new players that could finally dethrone the three kings mentioned above, he has competed in grand slam finals against the likes of Nadal and Djokovic, losing both times. Returning to the U.S. Open final was somewhat symbolic, considering that the first slam of the year was won by Djokovic against Medvedev in straight sets. The dominant victory was so one-sided that upon the booking of this match, almost nobody picked Medvedev to win. He was considered to be very lucky if he could win a single set, or at the very most two. When the match began, all bets were off.
Medvedev deployed a Djokovic-like game from the jump, returning the ball with shocking precision and serving aces frequently. Djokovic, who did not get off to a good start, couldn’t get into the rallies, as his forehand wasn’t firing nearly as accurately as Medvedev’s. From the first few games on, it was clear that Djokovic was going to have to play the best game of his career to defeat the strong, tactically perfect Medvedev. That task proved more and more difficult for the 20-time champion, as he dropped two sets in a row, and was now down to his last chance for the best of five sets match. Even still, Djokovic had the crowd and many others convinced he could do it.
Alas, after winning every single grand slam match of 2021, the final test proved too great for the sport’s legend. Djokovic could not keep up with Medvedev, who simply didn’t make that many mistakes. When Djokovic sat down before what was to be the final game of the match, he began sobbing behind a towel. While some might think that is odd, as the match hadn’t concluded, it was evident that Djokovic had simply run out of gas in the last match of the last tournament that would have guaranteed him the title of the greatest ever for many fans. Medvedev defeated Djokovic in straight sets, claiming his first grand slam, and cementing his title as the king of the “next gen” players. He is now the only member of that group to defeat either Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic in a slam final.
The question remains: is this the final chapter of the big three players? That will have to be decided in Australia, as the 2022 Australian Open is the next grand slam on the calendar. Can Djokovic return to break the record? Can Nadal or Federer return for the record themselves? Can Medvedev and the “next gen” players take over the sport? All these questions will be answered when the slam season resumes in January.
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