Daniil Medvedev faces a very difficult fight in the 2023 US Open final against Novak Djokovic. And it’s not even that Djokovic is a living legend with vast experience and a bunch of records.

The famous Serbian will be more motivated than ever, because Medvedev robbed him of the opportunity to become the greatest tennis player of our time.

In the final we only supported Djokovic

Djokovic could do something that no one has ever managed in modern tennis – win all four majors in a season. The last time this achievement was achieved was by the legendary Australian Rod Laver in 1969. With a victory at the US Open 2021, the Serbian would forever write himself into the history of sports. In addition, it was in this game that the tennis player could beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who also won the Grand Slam tournaments 20 times (later Djokovic would win the 23rd Grand Slam tournament and become the record holder for this indicator). The tennis player himself also perfectly understood the degree of responsibility and told reporters that he was going to play as if it was his last match in his life.

Few doubted that Djokovic would be able to beat Medvedev, but the Russian was given almost no chance.

“When the tournament began, the conventional wisdom was that the only way to beat Djokovic was to knock the racquet out of his hands,” wrote the New York Times.

Djokovic entered the match in an unusual role for himself – for the first time in a long time, the audience actively supported the Serb, and not his opponent. Still, the tennis player earned a controversial reputation and often made fans root against him. On the Internet you can even find a lot of articles with headlines like: “Why does everyone hate Djokovic?”

The fans really had enough complaints. For example, a tennis player was accused of getting hurt too often. At the US Open in 2019, he was even booed due to an injury.

Novak Djokovic / Photo: © Hannah Peters / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

— Djokovic withdrew due to shoulder problems that prevented him from continuing to play in the fourth round match against Wawrinka. He was immediately booed by the fans when they realized what was happening, and worst of all, their reaction wasn’t all that unexpected. If Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal had done the same thing, preventing further pain and not aggravating the injury, it is unlikely that they would have suffered the same fate, USA TODAY Sports explained.

But in the final of the tournament in 2021, the audience supported Djokovic. They wanted to witness the history that was happening in front of them on the court. Medvedev suffered the fate of the bad guy who could take away the Serb’s greatest opportunity, but Danya did not seem to care much. He is used to playing under pressure from the stands and even turning their negative energy into motivation.

“Medvedev brought Djokovic to his knees”

And the Russian immediately showed that he was going to take the dream away from his opponent: Medvedev won the first set – 6:4. At the same time, Djokovic suddenly began to get nervous from the start and even hit himself in the legs after he did not have time to catch up with the ball. In the second set, when the Russian took another point, the Serbian tennis player finally lost to his opponent, not yet in a sporting sense, but already in a mental sense: he broke his racket on the court with all his might. Medvedev maintained a very decent level of play and took the second set – 6:4.

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Sarah Stier / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

After the break, the favorite felt for some time that the dream could still come true. The stands, which were actively rooting against Medvedev, seem to have played their role. The Russian briefly lost the confidence that he did not let go of throughout the match.

It seemed that Djokovic would try to take advantage of this, but during the change of sides he suddenly began to cry. The Serb, accustomed to people cheering against him, saw support that he had probably never seen before in his career. In response, he waved to the audience and was moved.

However, the Hollywood ending did not happen. Medvedev closed the match in three sets and won the Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. A New York Times journalist, recalling that match, admitted that the Russian did not leave his opponent a chance.

“Medvedev brought Djokovic to his knees and handcuffed him to the net with a handful of points, an unfulfilled story and 23,000 fans desperate to see it,” wrote a New York Times columnist.

Djokovic himself said after the match that the support of the fans meant more to him than a victory and a new title. When Medvedev was asked about the crowd that was unkindly disposed towards him, the Russian beautifully added fuel to the fire of future confrontations with the Serb.

“He was preparing for a grandiose story.” Knowing that I managed to stop him definitely makes it even sweeter,” the Russian said cheekily.