Before the start of the US Open this year, the general consensus towards the tournament was that it might not be as interesting as its previous editions as top players like Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer decided to opt out of the event. But, the possibility of Novak Djokovic achieving the calendar slam in New York brought the necessary excitement to all the fans across the globe.
Watch this story: Novak Djokovic’s Racquet Smashes in Frustrated Meltdown Moments
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Novak Djokovic had a tough run in the US Open final against Daniil Medvedev
While the world no.1 couldn’t get to make history as he fell to Daniil Medvedev in the finals, the tournament exceeded everyone’s expectations and became the best slam of the year, in terms of quality.
Now that the tournament was over, Djokovic might have had the time to look back at what went wrong in the final against Medvedev.
It can be reminded that there isn’t much to dwell upon technically for the Serb because the amount of positive energy he received from the crowd made it a bit too overwhelming for him post the first-set debacle.
Also, if the calendar slam is all about winning the four majors consecutively, then that record is something that Djokovic had achieved the feat by winning all the majors between 2015 Wimbledon and 2016 French Open.
More than the US Open, it was the Tokyo Olympics defeat that would have been painful for the world no.1. It was evident on-court as he showed his frustration during duels against Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta.
“Nole was only one match away” – Murray on Djokovic missing out on Calendar Slam this year
Talking about the Serbian star’s US Open defeat, his long-time rival Andy Murray came to his defense and mentioned that Djokovic had already won all the four slams in a row.
“Making it is possible, Nole was only one match away from doing it. Serena probably felt same of Djokovic when she lost the semifinal in 2015. Anyway he already won 4 slams in a row, not in the same year but he did it”, the two-time Wimbledon champion mentioned.
#Murray about #Djokovic missing Grand Slam.
"Making it is possible, Nole was only one match away from doing it. Serena probably felt same of Djokovic when she lost the semifinal in 2015. Anyway he already won 4 slams in a row, not in the same year but he did it". pic.twitter.com/XRbJJkRVc7
— Lorenzo Ercoli (@Ladal17) September 20, 2021
The Brit also talked about Serena’s near miss at a Calendar slam back in 2015, where she lost to Italian Roberta Vinci in the US Open semi-finals. This defeat marked the end of a 26-match winning streak for the American in majors.
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Coming to Djokovic, a single defeat might not be as impactful and certainly isn’t a change of guard from Big-3 to the Next-Gen at slams. However, it can be inferred that Medvedev’s victory will certainly boost the morale of his peers and give them enough confidence to defeat Novak Djokovic in the near future.
Also read: “Truly Exceptional”: Roger Federer Lauds Novak Djokovic’s Incredible 2021 Season in Grand Slams