Daniil Medvedev ends Novak Djokovic's dreams of tennis immortality with a calendar Grand Slam and 21st major as he sweeps to victory, Sky Sports reports.
Winner Russia's Daniil Medvedev and Serbia's Novak Djokovic hold their trophies after the 2021 US Open Tennis tournament men's final match against at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on September 12, 2021.Novak Djokovic's hopes of a calendar Grand Slam and 21st major were ended after Daniil Medvedev put in a stunning performance to defeat the world No 1 in the US Open final.
But Medvedev put an end to his chances with a phenomenal performance to make it third time lucky in a Grand Slam final, winning 6-4 6-4 6-4 to at least strike a real blow for the younger generation against the old guard. Addressing the crowd, the Russian added: "Then I want to thank you guys. Today you were maybe a little bit more for Novak but that's completely understandable. Throughout the week you gave me a lot of energy. It helped me through today. It was not easy but thanks a lot.
Things were not going according to plan for the Serb whose serve and volley tactics were not troubling Medvedev in a battle of the top two seeds. It wasn't long before his frustration boiled over in the fourth game of the second set. After failing to convert a couple of break points, he destroyed his racket repeatedly on the court, earning a warning.
Djokovic looked bedraggled by the time Medvedev sealed a second break of his serve to surge into a 3-0 lead. The Russian served for the title but he crumbled at the finishing line to hand the world No 1 one break back.