Novak Djokovic against Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open men’s final may not have been the showdown fans were dreaming of but it could still bring the Grand Slam season to a spellbinding conclusion on Sunday. For weeks the tennis world was buzzing about seeing the red hot rivalry between Djokovic and holder Carlos Alcaraz in the Flushing Meadows final until Medvedev played the spoiler with a brilliant 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 semi-final win over the Spaniard. The Associated Press has the story:
US Open Final: Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev meet again
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP)
Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will meet again to determine the U.S. Open men’s champion.
Their match Sunday afternoon is a rematch of the 2021 final in Flushing Meadows. Medvedev won that day for his lone Grand Slam title.
The 27-year-old from Russia also denied Djokovic what would have been the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969.
Djokovic has gone on to win two more major titles this year, at the Australian Open and French Open, to raise his career total to 23. That is the most Grand Slam singles titles in men’s tennis history and ties Serena Williams for the most in the professional era, dating to 1968.
The 36-year-old from Serbia is playing in his 10th U.S. Open final. If he wins it, he would be the oldest male champion there in the open era.
Medvedev earned the chance to stop him by knocking off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. He is playing in his third U.S. Open final in five years.
For weeks the tennis world was buzzing about seeing the red hot rivalry between Djokovic and holder Carlos Alcaraz in the Flushing Meadows final until Medvedev played the spoiler with a brilliant 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 semi-final win over the Spaniard.
But what a final between former U.S. Open champion Medvedev and three-time winner Djokovic may lack in pizzazz it more than makes up for in pure quality with the world’s two best hard court players going toe-to-toe at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The contest also comes with some spicy sub plots as Djokovic hunts a fourth U.S. Open that would see him equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams and, along with it, a good measure of revenge against Medvedev.
On Sunday the Serb will look across the net at the same man standing between him and history as he did two years ago.
The last time Djokovic and Medvedev clashed at the U.S. Open was in the 2021 final, when the Russian captured his only major so far and denied the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.
It is a loss Djokovic has not forgotten and has learned from.
“Every time in a Grand Slam final it’s another shot for history and I’m aware of it,” said Djokovic, who will reclaim top spot in the world rankings on Monday.
