NEW YORK, Sep 11: Novak Djokovic would not let Daniil Medvedev spoil his date with history a second time as he battled past the Russian 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 to win the US Open on Sunday and equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams.
Djokovic’s victory, his fourth in 10 Flushing Meadows finals, capped another remarkable season after his wins at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and he will return to the top of the world rankings when they are updated later on Monday. No man has won a calendar Grand Slam in 54 years, though Djokovic came close once again, losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
But for the moment he is savouring his 24th Slam.
“It obviously means the world to me,” he said. “I’m really living my childhood dream.
“To make the history of this sport is something truly remarkable, it’s hard to describe the words.
“I had the childhood dream when I was seven, eight, I wanted to become the best player in the world.”
As he continues to live his dream Djokovic is also staking his claim to the mantle of greatest tennis player of all time.
At 36 Djokovic also becomes the oldest US Open men’s winner in the Open Era but the Serb’s Grand Slam hunger has not dimmed and he had some bad news for his younger rivals.
“Eventually one day I will leave tennis in about 23, 24 years,” he joked. “Until then, I guess you’ll see me a bit more.
“I don’t put any number right now in my mind on how many Slams I want to win.
“I’ll continue to prioritize them as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis.”
Tribute to Kobe
Novak Djokovic paid a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant after winning the US Open 2023 men’s singles event here.
Djokovic defeated Medvedev in straight sets to win the title at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Ahead of the trophy presentation, Djokovic paid a tribute to Bryant, who had tragically passed away in 2020.
The Serbian wore a t-shirt that had an image of him with the LA Lakers legend and the message ‘Mamba Forever’ written on it.
“I thought of doing this T-shirt eventually if I got the chance to win the tournament. It was about seven days ago. I didn’t share it with anyone until a few days ago when I asked my people to help me out to make this shirt,” Djokovic was quoted as saying.
“Kobe was a close, close friend. We chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality when I was struggling with an injury and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game.”
A feat matched by no one
Novak Djokovic’s US Open championship gives him 24 career Grand Slam singles titles, adding to the record he already held for the most by a man in tennis history.
Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
All of Djokovic’s triumphs have come during the Open era, which began in 1968, when professional players were admitted to the sport’s four most prestigious tournaments.
Margaret Court also won 24 major singles trophies – 13 in the amateur era, 11 in the Open era.
Here is a list of the women and men with the highest number of Grand Slam singles titles across the amateur and Open eras:
Indian origin climate activist charged
A 50-year-old Indian-origin climate protester who glued his bare feet to the stadium floor as part of the protest to end the use of fossil fuels during the prestigious US Open here last week has been charged with criminal trespassing along with another activist, according to media reports.
According to the New York Police Department, two men were charged after their protest at the US Open disrupted a tennis match held at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 7.
Sayak Mukhopadhyay of White Plains, New York, was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, and Gregory Schwedock, 35, of New York City, was charged with criminal trespass, NBC News reported.
Mukhopadhyay was among the four environmental activists who disrupted the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands on September 7 interrupting the tennis match between American Coco Gauff and Czech Karolina Muchova for about 50 minutes.
The activists belonged to a group called Extinction Rebellion Police said the two men were arrested and charged on September 7.Extinction Rebellion, an environmental activist group, took credit for the unusual protest.Mukhopadhyay moved to New York from his native Kolkata 25 years ago. (AP)
