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In New York, Novak Djokovic was determined not to let Daniil Medvedev spoil his historic moment for a second time. He battled past the Russian, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the U.S. Open final on Sunday, thus equaling Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
This victory marked Djokovic’s fourth win in 10 finals at Flushing Meadows and concluded another extraordinary Grand Slam season for him, having already won the Australian Open and French Open earlier in the year.
At the age of 36, Djokovic not only became the oldest U.S. Open men’s winner in the Open Era but also achieved a remarkable feat by winning three Grand Slam events in a season for the fourth time.
Djokovic expressed his immense satisfaction with his 24th Grand Slam victory, calling it the realization of his childhood dream of becoming the best player in the world. He now holds more Grand Slam titles than any other man and shares the overall record with Margaret Court.
After securing his historic title, Djokovic threw his racket in the air and knelt on the court as the crowd cheered. He then embraced his young daughter before pulling out a T-shirt with “Mamba Forever” on the front and the No. 24 on the back, paying tribute to his late friend Kobe Bryant, the legendary Los Angeles Lakers player who wore the No. 24 jersey.
The match between Djokovic and Medvedev lacked the intense atmosphere of the women’s final the day before, with neither player receiving clear support from the subdued audience. Djokovic faced Medvedev, the same opponent who denied him a calendar Grand Slam in the 2021 U.S. Open final. While Djokovic didn’t speak of revenge, he viewed the previous loss as a valuable learning experience.
The match featured extended rallies and baseline battles between the two premier hard-court players. Djokovic took an early lead, breaking Medvedev’s serve to go up 3-0 in the first set. Medvedev struggled to create break opportunities in the set.
The second set was a grueling affair lasting 1 hour and 44 minutes, with Medvedev pushing Djokovic to the limit but failing to convert his few break chances, including one at 6-5 that could have given him the set. Djokovic secured the set in a tiebreak.
Djokovic’s killer instinct was on display as he broke Medvedev once again to take a 3-1 lead in the third set. Although Medvedev managed to break back, Djokovic quickly responded with another break and held serve for the remainder of the match to seal the title.