USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) is overcome with emotion during an interview with ESPN hist Chris McKendry (R) during the trophy ceremony after his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) is overcome with emotion during an interview with ESPN hist Chris McKendry (R) during the trophy ceremony after his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The 2021 US Open final will be a memorable experience for Novak Djokovic going forward. For probably the first time, the Serbian star was embraced by the majority of the crowd at Arthur Ashe stadium as they roared astounding decibels to help Djokovic clinch his 21st major crown.
But Medvedev had different plans that Sunday. The Russian played top-notch tennis and dismantled Djokovic in straight sets. Towards the end of the contest, one could see Djokovic tearing up after witnessing the huge crowd’s support.
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Novak Djokovic reflected on his US Open loss to Daniil Medvedev
Recently, the world no.1 talked about that heart-breaking loss to Medvedev to the French sports outlet, L’Equipe.
“When I stepped onto the court for the US Open final, I was overwhelmed with the crowd support. I’m not usually the crowd favorite in big matches. I wasn’t prepared for such a reception. It caught me off guard. I had a different emotional response that maybe affected my game.”
via Reuters
Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Group F – Serbia v Austria – Olympiahalle, Innsbruck, Austria – November 26, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during his match against Austria’s Dennis Novak REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
But, Djokovic gave full credit to Medvedev for putting up a commanding performance and also realized that he should have let out his emotions much earlier during the match.
“My only regret about the US Open final is I didn’t cry earlier. I should have let go of all these mixed emotions inside of me earlier. I’m not saying I would have won the match. Daniil was much better on the day. But the action of crying liberated me, just a little too late.”
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Djokovic is yet to reveal the status of his Australian Open participation
Despite the crushing defeat, Djokovic rightfully earned the warmth of the crowd for his gigantic efforts on the ATP tour and for his dominance over the past decade, especially at Slams. The Serb was quick to avenge the US Open final loss as he thrashed Medvedev in straight sets at the Paris Masters final.
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic holds the trophy and celebrates winning his final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Djokovic ended his seventh year as the no.1 ranked player in the world, surpassing Pete Sampras’ previous record of six year-end top finishes. At present, Novak Djokovic is yet to reveal the status of his journey to Australia as speculations are popping up with each passing day.
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Also read: ‘Don’t Tell Anyone’: Rafael Nadal Announces Splendid News Ahead of Australian Open 2022
