BREAKING: Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam bid falls short in 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final. It's Medvedev's first major title.
For 27 Grand Slam matches in 2021, on hard courts, clay courts and grass, Djokovic could not be deterred, could not be beaten. Needing one more victory, in the U.S. Open final Sunday against Daniil Medvedev, to complete a season sweep of major titles and to claim the record 21st of his career, Djokovic could not come through.
He beat Medvedev in the Australian Open final in February, then added titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July.But Djokovic, a 34-year-old from Serbia, couldn’t get to 28-0. He simply was far from his best on this particular day. He finished with 16 aces and 38 winners in all, 11 more than Djokovic. After overcoming multiple double-faults on match point, Medvedev finally finished the job, then toppled over to the court on his side.
Djokovic came out a bit cold Sunday, double-faulting in each of his initial two service games and mixing in enough groundstroke miscues -- bowing his head or rolling his eyes after some -- that 12 minutes in, Medvedev was a point from a second break and a 3-0 lead. Djokovic eventually used a couple of aces at 117 mph and 124 mph to hold there, but it was Medvedev who stole the show in the early going.