NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic covered his face with a towel, but was unable to hide his sobs from the Arthur Ashe Stadium court chair. As he desperately tried to hide his eyes from view, he inadvertently exposed more of his face and his emotions were shown to everyone.
With only one victory to reach the immortality of tennis, he had finally proved deadly after all. Djokovic, 34, had no answers Sunday for 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev and his blistering service in the U.S. Open final, as he received an impressive 6-4, 6 loss. -4 and 6-4.
It was not the way he had dreamed of the day.
Sunday was supposed to be his coronation as “the greatest of all time,” the day he joined Rod Laver as the only men in the history of the open era to reach the dodging Grand Slam and the tournament in which he outscored his rivals Roger. Federer and Rafael Nadal won most major titles from a male player at 21 years old. He knew the level of bet and had said on Friday that he would play the match as if it were his last.
But he had failed in his mission, and it wasn’t just the disappointment he felt in the early moments after the match.
“Relief,” Djokovic told reporters shortly after about his main emotion. “I was glad it was over because the build-up to this tournament and everything I had mentally and emotionally had to deal with throughout the tournament in the last few weeks was a lot. It was a lot to handle.
“I was glad I finally finished the race. At the same time, I felt sadness, disappointment and also gratitude for the crowd and for the special moment they have created for me on the track.”
Ashe’s scene was all Djokovic could have wanted. There was a crowd that consisted of the A list of the A list – Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Spike Lee and Laver himself – and 24,000 more people who wanted to witness the history of tennis. They sang “Novak, Novak, Novak” throughout the match, no matter the score, and waved Serbian flags and signs professing praise and love. For Djokovic, who has always received mixed feelings from crowds, the stage was set for the turning point of his career.
But Medvedev was too prepared, too prepared for the moment. Playing in his third grand final and after losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in February, he was determined to use a different strategy on Sunday and wasted no time in implementing it.
Medvedev earned 20 of his first 23 service points, and never relaxed. He had 16 aces and scored a staggering 42 out of 52 points (81%) in his first serve. Djokovic could not solve the riddle.
“He was hitting his places really well,” Djokovic said. “He came out very determined on the court. You could feel that he was at his best in every shot. He was very clear about what he has to do tactically. He executed it perfectly.
“On the other hand, I was just below parity with my game. My legs weren’t there. I tried, I did my best. Yes, I made a lot of unforced mistakes. I didn’t have, I really didn’t have service. If you play in someone like Medvedev, who gets his places so well, just like aces, gets a lot of free points on his first serve, you’ll feel constant pressure on your service games. ”
With each ace or one of Medvedev’s 38 winners flying, Djokovic’s cheeks blew with frustration. He had a chance to break Medvedev, serving 1-2 in the second set, but was first interrupted by involuntary music (later identified as part of the “In memoriam” segment that aired on the video screen during a break) that was played the speaker and the point were played. When he finally lost the match, his rage had almost erupted. He smashed the racket to the ground. Moments earlier he had appeared to prevent himself from throwing the racket.
Medvedev exploded the next two games and drastically changed the momentum, leaving Djokovic few opportunities to invest his fortune.
He made a brave effort after losing the first four games of the third set, and the crowd did their part to get him back into the game with strong cheers and chants, but it was just too late and not enough.
It all ended in an amazing 2 hours and 15 minutes. Djokovic’s perfect record at seniors this season, which seemed so untouchable just eight weeks ago, was over. For those who had been on the lookout since their win at Wimbledon, it might not have been a complete surprise, but it was a shocking conclusion for one of the best seasons in recent tennis history.
After Djokovic won his third major title of the year at the All England Club in July, the conversation quickly focused on his ability to win the “Golden Slam” in Tokyo. Steffi Graf had been the only player in history to do so in 1988, and Djokovic, who had appeared invincible in the biggest games of the years, looked like a lock almost to winning gold. The US Open seemed like a mere formality.
But the Olympics didn’t go flat either.
Despite getting a set and a break, Djokovic lost to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, ending his chance to join Graf in the records. The next day, it got even worse. Playing Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal match, he could not control his temper and threw a racket in the stands and made another on the ground. He lost the match, then withdrew from the mixed doubles match with the bronze medal moments later and left Tokyo empty-handed. He did not play again until New York.
Still, despite the hiccups and the interruption of the competition throughout the month, he was the overwhelming favorite to win in New York. When it comes to seniors, there’s dominance, and then there’s Djokovic. With his victory at Wimbledon, he had won 19 of the 41 Grand Slam tournaments in which he had participated. With Federer and Nadal absent due to injury, a title seemed almost certain.
Although young players like Medvedev and Zverev were considered threats, few believed they could defeat Djokovic in a game of the best of five sets or with so many things on the line. Djokovic said getting the Slam schedule would be the highest achievement of his career at the start of the tournament and said he was “hugely inspired and motivated by it”. But it didn’t take long for him to point out that he had to stay in the present and grab him from one game at a time. After his victory in the quarterfinals, he prevented ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe from asking about it because he later said he didn’t want to be charged with it.
On the court, Djokovic’s play was not at all impeccable and at times he seemed vulnerable. He needed four sets in his first-round match against 18-year-old Holger Rune. He won only one game in sets in a row, in the second round. In the semifinals, he needed a decisive one to defeat Zverev.
With only one win between him and the milestone, he quoted Kobe Bryant and said the job was not over yet. He talked about seeing how Serena Williams came so close to the Slam calendar in 2015, before losing in the semifinals of the American Open, and the excitement she had after the loss.
He understood his pain even more on Sunday and proved it.
Djokovic did not achieve what had been proposed on Sunday. But he finally got what he had always wanted: adoration and genuine love from the world of tennis. When the crowd filled him with applause after winning their fourth straight game in the final set, he raised his fist and smiled during the break. Through the blows, he later told the crowd exactly what the support had meant during his interview on the track before the trophy presentation.
“I would like to say that tonight, even though I did not win the match, my heart is full of joy and I am the happiest man in life because you have made me feel very special on the court,” he said. “You guys have touched my soul. I’ve never felt this way in New York, honestly. I love you.”
Often criticized for his polarized extrajudicial actions and opinions, and perceived as arrogant by others, Djokovic has never had the fanatical fan base experienced by Federer and Nadal. But that loss could have changed things. It wasn’t the Grand Slam of the calendar year or a major title that broke records, but Djokovic felt something positive in the defeat.
“The excitement, the energy was so strong,” Djokovic said at his postmatch press conference. “I mean, it’s as strong as winning 21 Grand Slams. That’s how I felt, honestly. I felt very, very special.”