Djokovic’s on verge of creating history

IT WAS Britain’s Dan Evans, his fourthround victim, who summed up the experience of playing against Daniil Medvedev.

‘You’re looking at the draw hoping he’s nowhere near me for the rest of my days,’ said the British No1. Evans was just one of six players squashed by the gangly 6ft 6in Russian on his way to what was the entirely predicted men’s final of the US Open tonight.

Medvedev is the last line of defence for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the battle to see who ends up with the most Major titles. One more and his opponent, 34-year-old Novak Djokovic, moves ahead on to 21.

Not only that, but Djokovic also completes one of the great achievements in any sport this century so far, that of winning all four Grand Slams in the same calendar year.

The last man to do it, Rod Laver, has flown in from California home to see his feat replicated 52 years on from when he managed it.

It is hard to overstate how much is on the line for Djokovic this evening. ‘I’m going to treat this match as it’s my last one because it’s arguably the most important one of my career,’ he said after battling past Alex Zverev in five sets in Friday’s semi-final.

‘I think mentally he’s the best player to ever play the game,’ said Zverev. ‘Mentally, in the most important moments, I would rather play against anybody else but him.’

The good news for the legions of Nadal and Federer followers who have suddenly signed up to the Medvedev fan club is that their man is clearly capable, physically, of winning.

He has only dropped one set en route to what will be his third Slam final. At February’s Australian Open, the same two players vied for the championship and, notably, Medvedev was having the best of the opening set before getting nervous towards the end of it.

Djokovic does not always make himself easy to like. His greatness, however, is beyond dispute and in the unlikely event that he loses tonight, that will not change.

Meanwhile, British pair Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett made history in becoming the first men to win a calendar Grand Slam in wheelchair doubles.

They beat Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda 6-2, 6-1 in the US Open final.