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On the men's side at the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic made history yesterday, as he bested Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 yesterday. Djokovic passed Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles last year when he won Wimbledon. He first matched, then surpassed Rafael Nadal earlier this year by winning the Australian Open, then following it up with a French Open title. Now, with this win, Nadal passes Serena Williams to set a new record with 24 Grand Slam titles during the Open era, tying Margaret Court's old record of 24 Grand Slam wins, although most of those wins by Court happened prior to the modern era in tennis, which started in 1968.
Djokovic had won the U.S. Open three times prior, in 2011, 2015, and 2018. But he had lost in his previous final in 2021, to the very man he defeated yesterday, Daniil Medvedev. That loss denied him what would have been a calendar Grand Slam, as Djokovic had won each of the earlier slams that year. So this was sweet revenge for him, on some level.
The victory is surely a thrill, as will be the return to the number one ranking. Djokovic already holds the record for most time spent atop the rankings at 390 weeks, during a record span of 12 different years. He now has the opportunity to expand that record, and perhaps to reach 400 weeks. If he hangs onto that number one ranking to the end of this year, he will make still more history by being the year end number one for what would be a record eighth year.
There are more records. Overall, Djokovic has captured 96 singles titles, obviously placing him among the very elites in tennis history. However, this record includes a record 69 Big Titles (24 majors, a record 39 Masters, and a joint-record six ATP Finals). He also is the only man to have won all four Grand Slam titles at once across three different surfaces. Also, he stands as the only man in history to have achieved a triple Career Grand Slam, and the only player to complete a career Golden Masters, a feat he has achieved twice.
Unbelievable.
It seems that with each huge accomplishment that he achieves, Djokovic is solidifying his place as the greatest champion in tennis history, period. There may still be some detractors. Recently, I saw some comments on social media suggesting that Djokovic could never equal, let alone surpass, Roger Federer, because he had more style, both on and off the court, and that he was infinitely more likeable. But that is a judgement call. It's kind of like saying that Joe Montana is better than Tom Brady, because...well, he's just more likeable. That may be true (in fact, I would tend to agree with it), but Brady clearly has surpassed - even far surpassed - Montana's accomplishments on the football field. Ditto with Djokovic, who I have heard described as the Tom Brady of tennis. Some people will simply never like him, particularly fans of Federer and Nadal. Still, the numbers go a very long way to negating such judgment calls. Because on the tennis court, like it or not, nobody has ever enjoyed more success now, officially, than Djokovic.
Also, while there are some things about Djokovic, or some of the things that he has done in the past, that do bother me. However, he never struck me as somebody who is worth all of the derision that he gets, either. He seems to genuinely be a likeable guy overall, even if some things that he has done in the past kind of left a bit to be desired. For somebody who has achieved what he has achieved, Djokovic seems actually quite humble, and has most often embodied solid sportsmanship. Years ago, I remember Federer saying something to the effect of how he wants to make sure to give the fans who go to see him something to remember and tell their grandchildren about. He seemed always to be able to get away with saying things like that, but that smacked of more than a hint of arrogance to me. But to fans of Federer, he can do no wrong and, it seems, Djokovic can do no right. But only one of these two men grew up disadvantaged, in a war torn country, and practicing tennis near the rubbles of war.
Now, decades later, Djokovic has achieved what very, very few can even dare dream of actually achieving. If anybody in tennis history could be forgiven for displays of arrogance, it likely is Djokovic. The fans seemed to dislike - even often to hate - him, and he simply could never measure up to either Federer or Nadal, in their eyes. He could do no right, and they actively rooted against him. It would be understandable for him to vent his frustration under such circumstances, particularly as his accomplishments - if not his popularity - began to eclipse those of both Federer and Nadal. To bring up Sampras yet again, he once showed a rare bit of frustration at British fans at Wimbledon, who actively disliked him in the early days, when he yelled out in uncharacteristically loud celebration, kind of rubbing it in the face of the Wimbledon crowd. Djokovic could be forgiven for doing the same. Somehow, though, he has risen above such temptations. Fans of Federer and Nadal both actively kept rooting against Djokovic, and seemed to rejoice if and when Djokovic failed, as he did from time to time. Djokovic kept going, kept gutting it out, despite some heavy setbacks. He suffered some brutal defeats, such as when he became only the second man ever to defeat Nadal at Roland-Garros, only to then come up short against Stan Wawrinka at the final. Or two years ago, how he was denied the immortal achievement of a calendar Grand Slam title when the lost to Medvedev at the U.S. Open Final. But he kept on going, not allowing such setbacks to define him, to hold him down. Slowly but surely, he began to first rival, then match, and eventually surpass the achievements of both Federer and Nadal. However, he remains a seeming class act most of the time, even when the temptation must surely be there to scream out and rub it in the face of his many detractors. I think that there is something to be said about that.
Yet Djokovic knows just how precious each of these are. He also understands not to simply expect such levels of success.
“At 36, every Grand Slam final could be the last one," he said earlier this week.
I remember many years ago, when Pete Sampras was the ruler of men's tennis. At the time, he had won 12 Grand Slam titles in his career, and was about to play Pat Rafter of Australia, who had won two Grand Slam titles. When asked what was the difference between him and Rafter, Sampras betrayed a rare bit of public arrogance by saying, "10 Grand Slams." Now, Djokovic has won 10 more Grand Slams than Sampras. Simply unbelievable. By now, I think that there is no question that he is the GOAT of tennis, having raised the bar with a level of success that we may never see again. Let's appreciate him while he is still playing.
Novak Djokovic Wins U.S. Open—Surpassing Serena Williams’ Modern Grand Slam Record by Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes Staff, Sep 10, 2023:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/09/10/djokovic-wins-us-open-surpassing-serena-williams-modern-grand-slam-record/?sh=28948be740c5
Novak Djokovic Wins Point of the Tournament in the Final! | 2023 US Open
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