It was supposed to be the evening when America would see a live broadcast of tennis history. In the end, however, Novak Djokovic did not reach the 21st event of the Big Four and did not even complete the calendar grand slam. According to former stars of world courts, the Serb failed in the finals of the US Open mainly mentally, he was said to be unable to contain emotions.
He could be the third man in history to win all four of the season’s biggest events. He would become independent in the historical ranking of grand slam winners. Instead, Djokovic wiped tears on the court.
He was surpassed by the leader of the new generation, the Russian Daniil Medvedev. He did not even allow a hundred to the world number one and won three times 6: 4.
“It was too much for Novak, he could not control his emotions and he failed mentally. He wanted to be the best of the best in history, but in the finals it marked him,” said former Djokovic’s coach and one of Eurosport’s experts Boris Becker.
The 34-year-old native of Belgrade promised fans before the finals that he would fight as if it were his last match in his life. When he heard their tireless support just before the defeat, he cried on the bench and hid his tears in a towel.
“You can see that in the end he’s just a man. It’s probably the first time I’ve seen him cry right on the court during a match. Despite all his successes and performances, when he looked like a machine, like an iron machine, he’s a man who has a heart, “German tennis player Mischa Zverev defended his peer.
Surprisingly, the role of a calmer and more confident player in the fight for the silver trophy was fulfilled by a 25-year-old Russian, who has not nearly as much experience with battles for grand slam as Djoković.
“Daniil went for it. He didn’t care who was on the other side at all, he played sensationally from start to finish. He served well against the best-return tennis player in the world, he won absolutely deservedly,” commented Austrian tennis player and last year’s US Open winner Dominic Thiem.
He and Medvedev are now the only tennis players born after 1989 who have won a grand slam in their resume. Just for comparison, there are fourteen Grand Slam champions under the age of 32 among women.
This only proves how the men’s circuit is dominated by a strong generation of current veterans with Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“But Medvedev strikes me as the driving force of the next generation. He will win more grand slams. He knows how to prepare for big matches. Zverev or Tsitsipas are one step behind him,” Becker predicts.
Djoković himself paused over the new generation. “Those guys are great, they have a lot to offer on and off the court, tennis will be in good hands one day. But I still have the motivation to win other big titles, I’m still here,” added the world number one.
