The US Open men’s singles final we only half expected: Djokovic vs. Medvedev

Follow live updates on US Open Men’s Final Between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.

From the day the men’s singles draw came out, Novak Djokovic’s path to another US Open final seemed clear, and he looked set to face Carlos Alcaraz, which would have been a rematch of this year’s Wimbledon final.

The US Open men’s final will see a rematch, but not between Djokovic and Alcaraz. Daniil Medvedev of Russia, after defeating Alcaraz on Friday night in four sets, will play Djokovic on Sunday at 4pm ET for the tournament.

It will be a rematch of the 2021 US Open final, which Medvedev won, preventing Djokovic from completing a Grand Slam that year.

Here’s what you should know about Sunday’s game:

Djokovic and Medvedev took different paths to reach the final.

On paper, it looks like Djokovic has made his way to the championship match. He won five of his six matches in straight sets. But he encountered some formidable opposition along the way. In the third round, Djokovic ran into trouble when he lost the first two sets to fellow Serbian Laslo Dejeri. But Djokovic was able to come back for the win, and finished at around 1:30am

In the quarterfinals, Djokovic faced Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked American man, and in the semifinals he faced Ben Shelton, the rising American young man.

The path to the final was more difficult for Medvedev than for Djokovic. Two of Medvedev’s matches were postponed to four sets, in the second round against Christopher O’Connell and again in the fourth round against Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev’s toughest competition came in the semifinals on Friday, when he played Alcaraz. After the first set ended in a tiebreaker, it looked like the fans were in for a long night. But Medvedev dominated the second set 6-1. Alcaraz won the third but was unable to build further momentum, sending Medvedev to the final.

Medvedev has played the spoiler in 2021.

Medvedev and Djokovic have reached the US Open final before. Two years ago, Djokovic was looking to complete a Grand Slam schedule, having won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in a single year (he also competed in the Tokyo Olympics that year, but did not medal and thus lost his chance at the title). Golden knockout).

All Djokovic needed to complete a Grand Slam was to win the US Open.

But Medvedev spoiled the party. Medvedev went on to win the 2021 US Open final in straight sets, preventing Djokovic from completing the Grand Slam.

The match was strange at times, in which Djokovic showed emotions that fans are not used to seeing. At one point in the third set, Djokovic covered his face with a towel and then appeared to start crying and shaking, a sign of how important completing the major tournament was to him.

Medvedev said on Friday that Djokovic is finding ways to improve after the loss, making this year’s final more difficult.

“When he loses, he is not the same after that,” Medvedev said, referring to the 2021 final. “He will be 10 times better than he was that day, and I must be, if I want to beat him, 10 times better than I was that day.”

Djokovic leads them head to head.

Djokovic and Medvedev have met 14 times, and Djokovic has the advantage with nine wins. Their last confrontation was last March in the Dubai Championship, which Medvedev won 6-4, 6-4.

While Medvedev was able to spoil Djokovic’s Grand Slam shot in 2021, Medvedev admitted on Friday evening that facing Djokovic would not be easy.

Medvedev said: «Novak will present his best version on Sunday. “And I have to be the absolute best version of myself if I want to try to beat him.”

Djokovic is looking for No. 24.

Any time Djokovic plays in a Grand Slam final, there is the possibility that history could be revealed. With 23 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal, who has 22 titles, and Roger Federer, who has 20 titles.

With Federer now retired and Nadal out of the match due to injury, Djokovic has the opportunity to distance himself from his counterparts in the Big Three in men’s tennis. But Djokovic said on Friday evening that he tried not to focus too much on the numbers.

“I’m aware of that, and of course I’m very proud of it,” he added. “But then again, I don’t have much time and I don’t allow myself to think about these things.”

Djokovic recalled a similar historical weight when he lost the 2021 US Open final, and said he did not want it to happen again.

“I will try to just focus on what I have to do and prepare myself tactically for that match,” he said.

Watch Medvedev’s return situation.

For those who have focused this tournament more on players like Francis Tiafoe, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shilton, one big question may come to mind when they watch Medvedev in action: Why does he stand so far off the baseline to serve?

This may seem like a handicap to Medvedev, but he is using the position to his advantage. By standing further from the baseline, sometimes as much as 20 feet, Medvedev gives himself more time to return serve. He also uses the tactic as a tool to reinforce his positioning at the same point; By starting away from the baseline, it ensures that it will move forward as the point develops.

The strategy, of course, has its downsides. By standing farther back and having more time, Medvedev leaves more space on the court and gives his opponents more time to get into a better position for the next shot after serving.