Analysis: Djokovic ‘still hanging on,’ seeking major tennis titles
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic was, understandably, deflated. The quest to do something no man has done in more than a half-century took a lot out of him, physically and emotionally.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic acknowledged as much after crying during the last changeover of his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final.
What the 34-year-old from Serbia was not ready to do after coming agonizingly short — one victory short — in his attempt to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single season was to concede anything in the long term.
There is a new batch of talent making a push toward the top of the sport, but he will press forward.
Yes, Djokovic had spoken beforehand of giving everything he had against No. 2 Medvedev on Sunday, of treating it “like it is the last match of my career.” And, yes, Djokovic did come out flat and was outplayed. So, yes, Djokovic found the whole thing disappointing.
Of course he did. That’s only natural. To play so well and give so much, for so long, under an intense spotlight and burdened by pressure, from the outside and from within, is draining. No man had even won a year’s first three major titles, let alone the full quartet, since Rod Laver in 1969.
“It was a lot to handle,” Djokovic said.
He got 27 of the 28 victories necessary for a true Grand Slam.
He just couldn’t get the 28th.
“Part of me is very sad,” Djokovic said. “It’s a tough one to swallow, this loss, I mean, considering everything that was on the line.”
But he will play again, and he will resume his work to overtake rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and break their three-way tie for the most major championships earned by a man, 20. No one should, or would, be surprised if No. 21 for Djokovic arrives just a few months from now at next year’s Australian Open, a tournament he has won nine times.
Even if the three men he faced in Grand Slam finals in 2021 are in their 20s — Medvedev, 25, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open; No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, 23, at the French Open; No. 7 Matteo Berrettini, 25, at Wimbledon — and there are other, younger, players moving up
the ladder, too, Djokovic is not ready to step aside.
“The transition was inevitable,” Djokovic said Sunday, before stating: “The older guys are still hanging on.” Well, he is, certainly. Federer, who turned 40 on Aug. 8, and Nadal, 35, both missed the U.S. Open because of season-ending injuries.
It will be fascinating to see how Federer’s latest knee operation and Nadal’s chronic left foot pain affect them moving forward.
And it will be fun to watch whether the group a decade or more their junior, which also includes 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, 28, and the man he beat in that final and Djokovic edged in a five-set semifinal Friday, Tokyo Olympics champion Alexander Zverev, 24, plus even younger guys like Americans Sebastian Korda, 21, and Jenson Brooksby, 20, can make serious strides and win a major — or majors.