US Open 2021: Novak Djokovic and the most important match of his career
ForNovak Djokovic , the US Open final againstDaniil Medvedev is the most important match of his career.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Sep 12, 2021, 03:49 pm
It's about the Grand Slam: Novak Djokovic could write history again with a final victory over Daniil Medvedev. To date, only Rod Laver has managed to win all four men's Grand Slam tournaments in the Open Era in 1969. 52 years after the Australian, the Serb could now join this elite club.
Not least because of this, Djokovic spoke of the "most important match of his career" before the final (from 10:00 p.m. live in the tennisnet ticker). "I will put my heart and my body in there. I will treat the next game as if it was the last of my career," announced the world number one.
Djokovic could leave Federer and Nadal behind
In addition to the Grand Slam, Djokovic is also about an important record: With a win, he would win his 21st Grand Slam title and take the sole lead in the major ranking. It would at least be questionable whether Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could strike back again in this regard.
But despite the possible records, the industry leader wants to concentrate on the essentials: "I mustn't waste time and energy, and I mustn't be distracted. I just want to win this trophy."
Of course, the final opponent Daniil Medvedev wants to prevent the great triumphal procession. The Russian played his way into the final in Flushing Meaows relatively silently and only gave a single set in six matches. Even against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals, the world number two remained flawless.
However, Medvedev was not completely satisfied with his performance: "I don't think I played my best tennis, but I'm happy to be in the final on Sunday." In any case, the 25-year-old feels well prepared for winning his first Grand Slam trophy.
Statistics give Medvedev reason for hope
"I now know how all these situations feel. I know that I won't be tense anymore. And then it's all about tennis. If I play well, it won't be easy for my opponent - it doesn't matter, Who I'm playing against, "explained Medvedev, who had to take finals at the 2019 US Open and this year's Australian Open.
In Melbourne, Medvedev clearly lost out in three sets against Djokovic. But the statistics also give the Russian reason to hope: he won three of the last five duels against Djokovic. So there should be plenty of tension.
Here you can follow the final in the live ticker
Here the single tableau in New York
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