Novak Djokovic lifted his 24th Grand Slam title beating Daniil Medvedev, establishing himself as arguably the best tennis player of all time. He has impressed many with his incredible ability to step up and win Grand Slam finals, including former World No.1 Justine Henin. A seven-time Majors winner, she talked about what Djokovic did right to win the 2023 US Open and Alcaraz did not.
Henin believes a strong start is necessary to get an advantage over Medvedev on American hard courts. Alcaraz failed to do so and, hence, faltered in the semi-finals against the Russian. Djokovic got off to a flyer and displayed great mental strength to win an arduous second set, which broke Medvedev’s spirit. Henin claimed that the second set was the best tennis ever seen in a US Open final, but it was all down to how Djokovic started the match.
Alcaraz Not As Forceful Enough At the Start As Djokovic, says Henin
Djokovic hit the ground running in the US Open final against Medvedev. He raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set and held on to win it 6-3. Alcaraz could not get off to a great start, losing the first set in the tiebreaker in his semi-final. Henin feels having a great start and unsettling Medvedev is necessary to beat him. Alcaraz, however, could not do that but Djokovic did.
Henin said Djokovic managed to make a mark as the match started, but Alcaraz failed to. The former went on the offence right away, attacking Medvedev. The retired Belgian also said Djokovic served better than his opponent. This meant Medvedev was thrown off his game and could not get back into it, as per Henin.
“Djokovic was able to do what Alcaraz failed to do two days ago: leave his mark on the start of the match. Djokovic showed his offensive intentions, he attacked him quite quickly. He served very well at the start of the game even if he had fewer first [serves] afterwards. Conversely, Medvedev was not impactful enough.”
Defending champion Alcaraz did not have a great North American swing this year. After losing the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters, he came to New York hoping to defend his crown. However, Medvedev, the first genuine challenger he faced in his campaign, put paid to his hopes and exposed his struggles. This made Djokovic’s title run arguably a bit easier.
Nole Equaled Nadal at US Open 2023
Djokovic’s 2023 US Open victory was his fourth title at Flushing Meadows, going level with Rafael Nadal’s tally. The duo are now one behind Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Connors on the list of most US Open titles (Open Era). The Serb dominates the other hardcourt slam, winning the Australian Open 10 times. Now, he is within touching distance of becoming the man to beat at the US Open as well.
Alcaraz’s early exit means he changed World No.1 ranking with Djokovic once again. The latter has risen atop the ATP rankings again, and is likely to breach the 400-week mark. He already holds the record for most weeks as No.1 and is likely to extend that record beyond that incredible mark.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, is back at No.2. The duo will engage in a tussle for the year-end No.1 ranking. Watching this all unfold from a distance is World No.3 Medvedev. With two ATP 1000 tournaments and the ATP finals yet to come, there sure is enough ground for the top two to race for the year-end No.1.
