Novak Djokovic won an epic second set on his way to claiming the US Open title against Daniil Medvedev in the final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Serbian has called the second set of the final ‘maybe the hardest of his life.’ The Serbian even thanked God and divine intervention for helping him in the final.
The second set of the US Open final was a struggle for Djokovic. The Serbian was cramping up throughout the set and even fell on the floor a couple of times. As the shots in the rally increased, Medvedev looked more likely to win the points. Djokovic worked hard to stay in the set before eventually winning it in the tie-break.
Novak Djokovic wins an epic set…with divine intervention?
Novak Djokovic used all his experience and fighting spirit to win the second set against Medvedev that lasted for 104 minutes. The 24 time Grand Slam winner, saved break points and set points during the second set before winning it in the tie break. Medvedev was left to ruin missed chances as he could not mount a comeback after losing the second set and ended up losing the final in straight sets.
Talking to the media after the game, Novak Djokovic mentioned that he was just trying to stay in the game during the second set when Medvedev was in control. The Serbian further hailed the intervention of God and praised the divine power who he felt helped him to win. Djokovic even said that he could not feel his legs during some moments in the set but believed he will somehow end up winning due to the holy power above.
“In those moments, physically and materially, I no longer feel my legs, I don’t feel strength, the ground under my feet is spinning, the sky above my head… In those moments, with the faith I have, I hope that divine intervention will happen. If you believe that God and a higher power will help you, and I strongly believe in that and take it seriously… I think the divine was present today.”
Daniil Medvedev is one of the best hard-court players in the world and stopping the Russian when in full flow is a task many opponents fail at. Djokovic was falling down on court multiple times during the second set and looked down and out for most part but still somehow managed to win it in 1hr and 44 minutes.
Djokovic does the impossible again
Novak Djokovic has made a habit of winning incredible matches. The 36-year-old once again proved his undying fighting spirit as he saved multiple break points and set points to claim the second set against Medvedev on his way to win the US Open 2023. Djokovic has described it as one of the hardest sets of his life. The Serbian further added that he was finding it difficult to see the ball clearly but tried to stay in the game.
“In those moments, you just play by intuition – thirty times when we switch, I can’t see the ball clearly anymore, everything blurs in front of my eyes… It’s hard to describe it to someone who doesn’t see from my point of view and isn’t in my shoes, you get to the point of extreme patience. Maybe the hardest set in life”
Novak Djokovic has made it a habit of winning games in which is looks down and out. The Serbian superstar produced one of his greatest performance to win the Australian Open final in 2012 against Rafael Nadal and has given more such performances in big moments. His game against Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Masters was another example of his unwavering mental strength and endurance.
Djokovic’s ability to produce such comebacks when pushed in a corner has made him one of the best athletes of all-time. Fans’ are expecting the Serbian to keep producing such performances and challenge for more titles even at the ripe age of 36.
