On the verge of creating history at the US Open on Sunday, world number one Novak Djokovic entered the Arthur Ashe stadium as a huge favorite to capture his 21st major title and also to get the opportunity of winning a Calendar slam.

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But, his opponent Daniil Medvedev had other plans as he was extremely dominant and didn’t give any chance for the Serb to bounce back in the match. Right from the start, the Russian kept pushing Djokovic from one end to the other and forced errors out of him.

The fact that both Medvedev and Djokovic have similar playing styles worked in favor of the Russian as he employed defensive tactics to win points against the Serb. Djokovic, on the other hand, had different plans as he used a mix of drop shots along with serve and volley at times.

None of these tactics worked for the world number one as he was eventually beaten by Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. In the last few games of the third set, Djokovic displayed emotions on-court as he was seen sobbing into a towel during changeover.

Even during post-match presentation, the world number one got teared up and thanked the Arthur Ashe crowd for their overwhelming support throughout the night. Also, Medvedev was a deserving candidate for his debut major title considering his performances over the past couple of years.

After the match, former and current tennis players have reacted to the amazing victory of Daniil Medvedev over Novak Djokovic and extended their sympathies for the latter on missing the chance of winning 21 major titles.

Current and Former Tennis players react to the US Open final between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev

Polish player Iga Swiatek was one of the top stars to react to the match as she tweeted, “No… I’m not crying… I’M NOT CRYING… Ohh, who cares…”

Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard also praised Novak for being so close to script history at the US Open.

“He was 1 MATCH AWAY from insane history!!!”, the Canadian tweeted.

The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up went on praising Djokovic and called him the GOAT(Greatest of all time).

“Omg, I like Meddy don’t get me wrong but history would have been amazing. Novak is the GOAT and deserves it”. 

Former tennis player Nicole Gibbs also expressed her happiness for the support Djokovic got at the Arthur Ashe stadium today.

“Moment of poetry for him to finally feel the type of support and love he’s been searching for in the moment of his most painful failure. Hopefully takes that feeling with him despite the incredible disappointment”, Gibbs reacted.

Andy Roddick, who won the US Open title in 2003, tweeted, “Flawless match strategy by Medvedev. He deserved the win today. We still need to acknowledge how phenomenal Novak was this year (and for 15 years) Was fun to watch. Congrats to both!!”

Former tennis player and Wimbledon doubles champion Paul McNamee also praised both the players for putting on an incredible show at the Arthur Ashe stadium.

“Today, for the first time this year, Djokovic is being outplayed by a guy who is fresher, hitting harder, serving better and believes his time has arrived. All you can say is ‘too good’. Great run at the Grand Slam Novak Djokovic, and well played Daniil Medvedev“, tweeted Paul.

Legendary tennis player Rod Laver also sent out his appreciation towards Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic.

“Simply stunning Daniil Medvedev, you stopped one of the greatest tonight. To win your first Grand Slam title is always special, to do it against a champion like Novak Djokovic is something else. Take heart Novak, the quest continues. Best wishes.”

Having won his first and only major title at the US Open in 2009 by defeating Roger Federer, Argentinian tennis sensation Juan Martin del Potro also sent out a congratulatory message for Medvedev.

“Congratulations Daniil Medvedev, well deserved! No words can describe how it feels to win your first US Open, but I bet you’re the happiest man alive right now!”, del Potro tweeted.

Another legendary tennis player Billie Jean King praised Medvedev for rising his game at the right moment and forcing errors out of Novak Djokovic in the final.

“Congratulations to Daniil Medvedev ,the 2021 US Open Men’s Singles Champion. Credit to Medvedev who played spectacularly. As Rod Laver would say, you can’t have one bad match in a major, & Novak made too many unforced errors today. However, winning 3 of 4 Slams is remarkable”. 

Winner of the US Open men’s singles title last year, Dominic Thiem also applauded Medvedev for putting up a dominant show against the world number one.

“What a performance! Congrats on your first Grand Slam title Daniil Medvedev!”

It was a phenomenal end to one of the best years at the US Open. The tournament produced two debut winners after a series of amazing performance from several female and male tennis players alike.

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