Novak Djokovic is all set to take on Daniil Medvedev in the US Open 2023 final on Sunday. This will be a rematch of the 2021 edition of the Grand Slam. After his win over Ben Shelton in the semi-final, Djokovic talked about that final in which he lost to Medvedev.
Candidly, Novak Djokovic admitted that external pressure did get to him in 2021 despite an outstanding campaign prior to that match. It can’t be said for sure whether Djokovic discredited Medvedev indirectly. But this is a massive revelation, which will definitely spice up the hype ahead of the big match and their rivalry.
Did Novak Djokovic fall prey to his own success in US Open 2021?
2021 was when Novak Djokovic regained his supremacy in the game, reminding fans of his invincible 2011 and 2015 seasons. Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon Championships in a row. He was unbeaten in 27 Grand Slam matches in a row coming into the US Open final.
Had Novak Djokovic won against Daniil Medvedev, he would have become the first men’s singles player in 52 years to have won the Calendar Slam after the great Rod Laver. Djokovic also had a golden opportunity to go past his 2 big rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to clinch a then world record 21st Grand Slam title in one shot. However, the opportunity to create history actually bogged down Djokovic rather than motivating him.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion was quoted as saying in a press conference –
“Every time in a Grand Slam final it’s another shot for history; I’m aware of it, and of course I’m very proud of it.
“But I don’t have much time nor do I allow myself to reflect on these things or think about the history too much, because when I did that in the past, like, ’21 finals here, I was maybe overwhelmed with the occasion and the opportunity and I underperformed.
“So I don’t want this to happen again, and I’ll try to, you know, just focus on what needs to be done and tactically prepare myself for that match.”
The major difference in the 2021 and 2023 campaigns also for Novak Djokovic was that this year, he has been more clinical in his performances. He has only lost 2 sets in the tournament so far, that too to just one player, Laslo Djere. While in 2021, in the leadup to the final, Djokovic had lost as many as 5 sets. This is a scary proposition for Daniil Medvedev to encounter as his Serbian rival keeps getting better physically and skill-wise both.
Djokovic vs Medvedev head to head
Novak Djokovic has a healthy lead over Daniil Medvedev in their head-to-head, leading 9-5 from their 14 meetings. It is 8-4 when it comes to all hard court matches. In Grand Slams as well, Djokovic leads 2-1.
However, in their last clash, it was Medvedev who won in straight sets. He beat Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4 earlier this year in the Dubai Open semi-final.
