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| Source: US Open/Twitter |
(This is a continuation of yesterday's post)
As I had planned, yesterday I went to bed early, kept the alarm for 5 am, to catch the final moments of the Novak Djokovic - Daniiel Medvedev match.
My hope was it would be an intense battle between the two, which would stretch well beyond three hours.
When the alarm rang, I checked the BBC Sports app, to see how the match was progressing.
The match was over! Medvedev, the new US Open Champion.
I went back to sleep. I only wanted to know how quickly Djokovic capitulated.
MEDVEDEV SHOW
I watched the highlights, first thing in the morning.
The 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 match of the Grand Slam Final lasted a mere 2 hours 15 mins. That's just 24 minutes more than the two sets of the women's final yesterday! I couldn't believe that!
It was a one-sided game - but for a change, it wasn't Novak who was hogging the limelight.
The Serbian -- who had said a few days ago that he would play the final as if it was the last match of his career in order to achieve the goal of the Calendar Slam -- was a pale shadow of his former self. His body language, for some reason, wasn't of one who was gunning for a historic title.
It was @DaniilMedwed's moment to shine at the #USOpen
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Highlights from the men's singles final 👇 pic.twitter.com/hfP58Ilnio
It's quite possible that he got weighed down by his own expectations. Medvedev, who had nothing to lose, just let his game flow. And he was brilliant. He had the ball fully under his control.
Especially when moved to the net, he clearly knew where to land the ball. Each of those passing shots and drop shots was exquisitely timed and placed. Djokovic looked simply stranded.
The numbers bear out what played out. Novak had 38 unforced errors. Though Daniiel too was off the mark with 31 unforced errors, he had 38 winners in comparison to 27 of Novak. Russian sent down 16 aces, while the Serbian had just 6.
WHY MEDVEDEV HAD TO WIN THE CUP
If it was Calendar Slam that drove Djokovic, it was something else that motivated Medvedev. Watch the video below:
Daniil Medvedev just won the #USOpen on his wedding anniversary.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Good thing, because he didn't have a present ready 😂 pic.twitter.com/eUXVYEyzup
Weighed down by his own expectations... Good way to put it.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteGood follow up - I had hoped for Medvedev, but admitedly had not quite expected such a result as this! YAM xx
There is something about going in expecting to win. When you have the flow and aren't stressed, things go better.
ReplyDeleteI watched the game. It was one sided. May be Medvedev knew you were awake all night last night and so he did not want to disturb your sleep the next day and therefore, finished the match very quickly so you can go back to bed and sleep.
ReplyDeleteHaven't kept much on Tennis. When I was in high School the big tennis star was Chris Everett.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Hi Pradeep - I didn't see it ... but I do feel for Djokovic ... still he'll have more choices. Good for Medvedev it's taken a while. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYou do a superb job of explaining and sharing the game!
ReplyDelete