Djokovic - Medvedev: Opportunity to repay the debt in 2021
* Djokovic - Medvedev: 3:00 a.m. Monday, September 11, Hanoi time.
Two years ago, too much pressure before a series of great milestones caused Djokovic to collapse in the final against Medvedev. The Russian tennis player, on a brilliant day of competition, defeated his senior in three sets, preventing Nole from reaching the Grand Slam record as well as the Calendar Slam (winning four Grand Slams in the same year). "In 2021, I was probably overwhelmed by the opportunity to create history and big records," Djokovic recalled. "I played poorly. I don't want that to happen again."
Now, with a record of 23 Grand Slams and no pressure to complete the Calendar Slam, Djokovic will certainly enter the final with less pressure. He is also certain to regain the world number one position from Carlos Alcaraz after the tournament. But there are still invisible pressures inside the Serbian tennis player.
"At the age of 36, every Grand Slam final could be the last," Nole said at the press conference before the final. "Every time I reach the finals is an opportunity to make history. So, I probably cherish this opportunity more than 10 years ago. Before, I always felt like I had many years to do it again."
Djokovic and Medvedev have faced each other 14 times. Nole won nine and lost five matches. The 36-year-old tennis player also won four of the last five confrontations with his junior. But both of their minds right now probably only contain memories of the meeting in New York in 2021. Djokovic certainly does not want to repeat the 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 defeat. Medvedev knows that too.
"After Djokovic lost to someone, he never played the same when he met that person again," the Russian tennis player prepared himself to deal with a stronger Djokovic than two years ago. "If I want to continue to beat him, I have to be 10 times better than I was in the previous confrontation."
Djokovic advanced to his 10th final at the US Open with five 3-0 wins, in addition to a tough five-set match with compatriot Laslo Djere in the third round. In the semi-finals, he showed good serve performance when defeating Ben Shelton - the best serving player of the tournament based on statistics.
Witnessing Djokovic's form, Medvedev also admitted before the match that he had to serve well if he wanted to defeat his senior again. Two years ago in New York, Medvedev had 16 aces and won 80% of first-ball points against Nole. In the semi-final match against Alcaraz on September 9, the Russian player also played a perfect match to win in the underdog position, including an 82% first-ball win rate.
Durable hitting is also Medvedev's strong point, especially when he is in high form like now. Alcaraz admitted that there is no solution to overcome the Russian player in the semi-finals. That is also what Nole experienced at the Dubai Championship in February this year, when he lost his only hard court match of the season to Medvedev.
If Medvedev is the best version of himself ever - what he wishes for in the US Open final, the Russian player will have a great chance to continue to defeat Nole and win the second Grand Slam of his career. The victory over Djokovic also helped Medvedev create a stable position with his seniors and Alcaraz in the race to number one at the end of the year.
A good start will be key for both players in the final. Medvedev is leading the ATP this season in terms of overall win rate after winning the first set, with 97.9%. The 26-year-old tennis player has lost only one of the 48 matches in which he won a first set since the beginning of the year. Four of Medvedev's five wins against Nole came after he won the first set.
Djokovic also scored well in this aspect, with 95%. Nole lost only two in 40 matches after winning the first set. But the Serbian tennis player does not depend too much on a good start. Nole's achievement this season after losing the first set is winning six matches and losing only three, while Medvedev's is winning eight and losing 10.
In the third year of his career, Djokovic reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, after 2015 and 2021. In the two years mentioned above, Nole won all three Grand Slams. Victory over Medvedev will help the Serbian player repeat that achievement and extend his record at this level to 24 titles.
