“Never Felt Like This”: Tearful Novak Djokovic Gives Heartwarming Speech After US Open 2021 Final Defeat

Even though Novak Djokovic stepped into the Arthur Ashe Stadium being a huge favorite to win the US Open title against Daniil Medvedev, the Serbian couldn’t handle the huge pressure of winning the calendar grand slam and lost in straight sets to the Russian, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

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Right from the start of the matchup, Djokovic felt the nerves as he couldn’t find his best game and allowed Medvedev to break his serve. With the Russian looking as sharp as ever on serve, a single break of serve became more than enough to win the set.

Medvedev did exactly that as he didn’t allow the Serb to take any chance on his serve. But, Djokovic wasn’t someone who could give up on a matches, especially when he could be the first men’s singles player to ever reach 21 major titles and also the opportunity to achieve the Calendar Slam.

Djokovic did everything he could, with support from the crowd, to force errors from Medvedev. While the Russian made errors here and there, he played perfect tennis on big points and saved a few break points during that process.

In the first two sets, the Russian broke Djokovic once and went onto win both the sets, 6-4, 6-4. Just when a huge comeback was on cards for the world number one, Medvedev broke the first service game of Djokovic in the third set and raced ahead with a lead of 4-0.

Novak Djokovic gave heartening speech after losing US Open final against Daniil Medvedev

The last few games were emotional for Novak Djokovic as he was seen sobbing during changeovers. It was the overwhelming support he got from the crowd that got him all drenched. Despite a mini fight back from the Serb, Medvedev managed to pull out a stunning victory to claim his first-ever major title by winning the third set, 6-4.

During the post-match presentation, Djokovic was extremely emotional and thanked the crowd for making him feel special on-court.

“I’m the happies man alive because you guys made me feel very special on the court”, said Djokovic.

The Serb continued, “Even though I have not won the match, my heart is filled with joy. I’ve never felt like this in New York, honestly”. 

Despite this heart-breaking loss, it was a magnanimous effort from Novak Djokovic this year during the majors. Also, Medvedev rightfully deserved this US Open title after consistent performances over the past couple of years.

Also read: CALENDAR SLAM DENIED! Daniil Medvedev Snaps Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam Winning Streak at US Open 2021