Just as the US Open was about to have its ideal weekend, Daniil Medvedev did the most Medvedev-like thing and ruined it all.
With a stunning victory over reigning champion and 20-year-old wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz, the 27-year-old Medvedev — the game’s happy troll, playful wiseguy, and unconventional baseliner — threw a wrench in the popular plans to watch the next chapter of Alcaraz’s mounting generational rivalry with Novak Djokovic.
Instead of a rematch of an epic Alcaraz-Djokovic final three weeks ago, which was a rematch of the Wimbledon final in July, which was a rematch of their semifinal showdown at the French Open in June, Sunday will feature a rematch of Medvedev and Djokovic’s 2021 U.S. Open final.
On that day, Medvedev, the Russian with the wacky strokes, wacky one-liners, and dead fish triumph celebration, shattered Djokovic’s bid to become the first man in 50 years to win all four Grand Slam championships in a calendar year, thrashing the apparently untouchable Serbian champion in three sets.
“Novak is always better than the previous time he played,” stated Medvedev. “Novak is going to be his best version on Sunday, and I’m going to have to try to be my best version to beat him.”
On Friday night, the apparently unstoppable Alcaraz, the sport’s current showstopper, was hit head-on by a party crash. Throughout the night, Medvedev ran after every ball and delivered one of the most devastating serves in the game, matching Alcaraz shot for shot and forcing him to the brink of losing his cool in the second set. Alcaraz almost flung his racket on the ground, but stopped himself at the last second. Medvedev then held off Alcaraz’s third-set comeback effort to win in four sets, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, against the tournament’s top seed and current world No. 1.
“I’m going to change my mind,” Alcaraz said after the dramatic duel. “I’m not mature enough to handle these kinds of matches.”
Alcaraz had his moments, particularly early in the third set when he started dancing over the court and controlling games by jumping into the net to hit stinging volleys. As Alcaraz reduced the advantage, he found that additional zip on his ground strokes and had Medvedev hanging his head for the first time all night.
Medvedev restored his early form after a toilet break and a change of clothing, morphing once again into the human backboard capable of finding the tightest angle to slip a ball past his most skilled and acrobatic opponent.
That was the feat he performed in the fourth set’s long sixth game, which lasted over 15 minutes. On his second attempt to break Alcaraz’s serve, he fired a backhand return onto the Spaniard’s shoelaces as he pushed towards the net. He raised his eyes to the audience and waved his fingers in the air, as he had done all night, his how-about-some-love-for-me gesture.
Two games later, he had secured the men’s semifinals’ second win, in which durability triumphed over style. Once again, the fingers were raised into the air. Alcaraz had easily defeated him twice this year. Not today, and it was time to start concentrating on the next clash with Djokovic, which is unlike any other challenge in the sport.
“It’s a mental preparation where you want to go to war,” remarked Medvedev.
Djokovic is seldom in better shape than during a Grand Slam final, particularly recently. He’s going to play his fourth game of the season and has already won two.
“Grand Slams are the biggest goals and objectives that I have,” he stated Friday evening. “I planned my schedule so that I could give my all in these tournaments, and that’s exactly what happened this year.”
Djokovic needed to beat Ben Shelton, a 20-year-old Floridian thunderbolt, to win the final. Every time Shelton hit the court at the US Open, he put on one of the most exciting performances.
He was a racket-waving highlight reel once again against Djokovic, playing the type of tennis that would make any American fan give respect to the spirit of “Big” Bill Tilden or whatever mystical power inspired Shelton to pursue tennis rather than football as a youth.
That 143-mph second serve, and the terrifying forehand the child unleashed over the court. He used his athleticism floating back to transform good lobs into fearless, rocking overhands. Those rippling arms, and the energy, the way he exclaimed an ecstatic “yeah!” like a child on the playground every time he grabbed a major point. And then there’s the touch on the drop volleys, as they land and spin back towards the net.
Unfortunately for Shelton, there are no style points in tennis, and in Djokovic, he faced not only a 23-time Grand Slam champion and the best player of the modern age, but also the supreme practitioner of tennis tai chi. For years, and especially during his most recent run of supremacy, the 36-year-old Djokovic has used the flashiest and most overpowering competitors’ force and flair against them.
Djokovic, playing in his 47th Grand Slam semifinal, accomplished the kind of tactical dissection of Shelton that has killed the aspirations, good feelings, and flash that so many younger players have come at him with in the past. Djokovic defeated the young guy with the sculpted arms 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in little over two and a half hours, spending no more energy than was required.
He chased Shelton’s drop shots from the back of the court like a cheetah pursuing his supper for much of the day, and plucked off rockets on Shelton’s serve like he was picking butterflies in a field on a late summer afternoon. Djokovic also hijacked Shelton’s much-talked-about post-match celebration, miming a phone to his ear then slamming it down before offering the little guy an icy handshake, as the match concluded with Shelton whipping a forehand into the net.
Shelton subsequently witnessed Djokovic’s impersonation on camera after he exited the court. He doesn’t like it when others tell him how to celebrate.
“I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want,” Shelton remarked, glaring at Djokovic as he neared the net. “As a kid growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so that’s all I have to say about that.”
“I just love Ben’s celebration,” said Djokovic, who remarked about the celebration after Shelton. I thought that was incredibly creative, so I imitated him.”
Understand that Djokovic enjoys spectacular tennis highlights just as much as everybody else. He onto the court for the third set with an almost insurmountable — against him — two-set lead and whacked as hard as he could while watching Shelton feather a drop volley. Djokovic rewarded the occasion with a racket clap. Wonderful performance, young guy. He strolled onto the court minutes later and rolled a passing shot to shatter Shelton’s serve and spirit once again.
Djokovic performed all of this in front of roughly 24,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium, who were anticipating a high-octane confrontation.
That was never more evident than when Shelton was behind 2-4 in the third set, frantically attempting to prolong the match. He was given an opportunity to break Djokovic’s serve and did not disappoint, pulling Djokovic into a wide forehand that made his head ring. Djokovic held a break point and all the good feelings two games later, despite his first error-strewn and poor-serving dip of the day (it happens).
Djokovic then suffocated the excitement once again with his customary efficiency – a 124 m.p.h. serve out wide that Shelton couldn’t touch. The status quo had been restored.
There was still time for Shelton and Djokovic to entertain the sold-out crowd. Shelton averted match point and forced the third set to a tiebreaker, then hung around for a time after losing 5-1. But Djokovic had business to attend to, as well as a legitimate spot in his 36th Grand Slam final. When he clinched it, it was his time to revel in the commotion — and, predictably, to hang up the phone.
“I know how much work, dedication, and energy I put into trying to be in this position, so I know that I deserve this,” he stated. “I always believe in myself, in my own capabilities, you know, in my skills, in my quality as a tennis player to be able to deliver when it matters.”
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