Medvedev: 'I lost to Djokovic because I was stubborn'

"It's a pity because I could have won," Medvedev said after the 2023 US Open final, where he lost to Djokovic 3-6, 6-7(5), 3-6. "There were choices, like down the line or cross court, that I chose wrongly. If I had won the second set everything would have been different but tennis is not that easy. I was stubborn about going deep to return serve. It should have been I should change my standing position."

Medvedev maintained the habit of retreating a few meters below the baseline to return serve when playing Djokovic in the US Open final. This way of playing causes him to constantly have to fend off volley situations from his seniors. Djokovic scored 20 points from 22 serves at the net this match.

"I tried to change my thinking when I stood to return the ball, but I didn't do a good job of getting the ball to the desired place," Medvedev added. "I'm quite good at returning the ball from the back of the court but that didn't happen today. Of course, Djokovic did his job well first."

Medvedev lost four out of five Grand Slam finals, at the hands of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He beat Djokovic in all three sets of the US Open final two years ago to win his first Grand Slam. In the rematch in New York on September 10, Medvedev played better than Djokovic in the second set, but missed the set point and lost in the tie-break.

"There were moments when I felt like I dominated the match," Medvedev expressed. "He seemed tired in the second set, missed a lot of tough shots. A lot of things to regret when you lose a Grand Slam final. I will look back on it all in the next few days."

Medvedev still has an impressive season so far. He won 55 and lost 12 matches, including 38 wins on hard courts. No one has won as many hard court matches as Medvedev since the beginning of the year. The Russian tennis player won five titles, including two Masters 1000 in Miami and Rome. Medvedev, Djokovic and Alcaraz are sure to qualify for the ATP Finals in November.