US Open final 2023 LIVE: Novak Djokovic v Daniil Medvedev result and reaction after record 24th grand slam
The 36-year-old Djokovic won his 24th major title against Medvedev to tie the all-time record with Margaret Court
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Novak Djokovic battled past Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 and into the tennis history books on Sunday, winning the U.S. Open to equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams.
The victory, his fourth in 10 Flushing Meadows finals, capped another remarkable Grand Slam campaign for Djokovic with wins at the Australian, French and U.S. Opens and a return to the top of the world rankings when they are updated on Monday. The 36-year-old Serb becomes the oldest U.S. Open men’s winner in the Open Era and the first to win three Grand Slam events in a season for the fourth time. The win was also measure of revenge for Djokovic.
The second seed walked out on to a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday and stared across the net at Medvedev the man once again standing between him and history just as he had two years ago. The last time the two clashed at the U.S. Open was in the 2021 final, when the Russian captured his only major and denied the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam. While Djokovic and Medvedev are intriguing figures, neither has been fully embraced by the New York crowds.
Certainly there was little of the electricity that crackled through Arthur Ashe during the women’s final on Saturday, with no clear support for either player from an attentive but subdued audience. As expected in a contest featuring the sport’s two premier hardcourt players, almost every point was contested with long rallies as both men pounded away at each other from the baseline. Djokovic came out playing with purpose and applied pressure right away breaking the third seed at the first opportunity on way to a 3-0 lead.
That would be the only break Djokovic would need against a surprisingly flat Medvedev who could not manufacture a single break chance in the first set. During a marathon one hour and 44 minute, lung-bursting second set Medvedev would find life forcing a tiring Djokovic into long grinding point, after grinding point. But the tireless Russian’s hard work would pay no dividends unable to convert any of his few break chances including one at 6-5 that would have given him the set.
Medvedev charged in front 3-1 of the tie-break but again could not land the knockout blow as Djokovic came off the ropes to take it 7-5 and a 2-0 lead. If there is one thing Djokovic possesses it is a killer instinct and the Serb wasted no time striking breaking Medvedev to go up 3-1 in the third. A defiant Medvedev answered with his first and only break of the match but it was not enough with Djokovic hitting right back with another break then holding serve the rest of way to clinch the title.
Relive all the action from the US Open men’s final and reaction as Novak Djokovic defeats Daniil Medvedev.
US Open 2023 final: Daniil Medvedev on race to end year as world No 1
“I think the only way I can use [the 2021 final] is thinking that Novak, when he loses, he’s never the same after. He’s different. It’s just a different mentality,” said Medvedev after dumping Carlos Alcaraz out. “That’s why he has 23 Grand Slams, [all those] Masters 1000s and weeks at No. 1.
“So I have to use it knowing that he’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day, and I have to be, if I want to still beat him, 10 times better than I was that day. That’s what I’m going to try to do.”
US Open 2023 final: Djokovic v Medvedev head-to-head record
Novak Djokovic has a 9-5 record all-time against Daniil Medvedev. The Serbian was beaten in their last meeting though, a straight sets, hard court defeat to the Russian in Dubai.
That snapped a four-game win streak for Djokovic, who will hope to break the 1-1 grand slam final record between the pair.
After Djokovic’s win in the Australian Open final two years ago, Medvedev squared the record in New York later that year.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts to US Open final defeat
Aryna Sabalenka’s bid to bookend her year with a second Grand Slam title fell apart in the U.S. Open final on Saturday but the incoming world number one said she will get both comfort and motivation from her lofty perch atop the world rankings.
Sabalenka will overtake Poland’s Iga Swiatek when the new rankings are updated on Monday and the Belarusian admitted her new status will help ease the sting of her U.S. Open final loss to American teenager Coco Gauff.
“Yeah, that’s why probably, that’s why I’m not super depressed right now,” Sabalenka said when asked to reflect on becoming world number one for the first time. “I’m definitely going for a drink tonight if I’m allowed to say that,” a smiling Sabalenka added. “Yes, we are athletes, but sometimes we are drinking, but not much.”
The 25-year-old Sabalenka was the second seed in New York and dropped just one set in her march to the final where she took control early and broke Gauff three times en route to grabbing the first set. But sixth seed Gauff flashed her remarkable speed to extend rallies and managed to force a deciding set where her game reached another level and proved too much for Sabalenka.
“I was overthinking and I was missing quite, like, not easy balls, but the balls I shouldn’t be missing,” said Sabalenka. “Today it was more about -- not more about, it was unforced errors was a lot in the second set, and that’s where I gave her believe that she can win this match. I got overemotional after the second set.”
Coco Gauff reacts to US Open triumph
“The whole time I was saying to myself, ‘Oh, my goodness, how is this real?’” Gauff told reporters.
“When I sat down after hugging them back before the ceremony, it felt real in that moment, but when I was going to hug them it didn’t. I almost forgot to shake the ref’s hand. It was a crazy moment.
“People were putting a lot of pressure on me to win. I felt that at 15 I had to win a slam at 15. I felt like I had a time limit on when I should win one, and if I won one after a certain age it wouldn’t be an achievement.
“Yeah, it’s just crazy the amount of things that I have heard or seen about myself, but I’m really happy of how I’ve been able to manage it all.”
Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Spain’s Davis Cup team
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out from this month’s Davis Cup to recover following his U.S. Open semi-final loss, the world number one said on Saturday.
Alcaraz, the defending champion at New York, exited this year’s final major after suffering a defeat to third seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Friday. Alcaraz, 20, will be replaced by Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Spain squad.
“I was really looking forward to playing for Spain at the Davis Cup in Valencia, but I have to listen to my body after a very long tour,” Alcaraz said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “I need to stop and rest, physically and mentally. The schedule is very demanding; there is still a long season ahead, and now it’s time to recharge my batteries. Best of luck to the Spanish team! I will be supporting you strongly! Let’s go!”
The 35-year-old Ramos-Vinolas, currently ranked 88th, has been called by captain David Ferrer, who won the Davis Cup as a player on three occasions with Spain, lifting the trophy in 2008, 2009 and 2011, as well as a runners-up finish in 2012.
“Ramos was already called up for last year’s Final eight in Malaga. This year he has been a finalist in Gstaad and a semi-finalist in Cordoba, as well as reaching the quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro and the ATP Challenger in Parma,” the country’s tennis federation (RFET) said in a statement. “In Davis Cup he has played five Davis Cup ties with a record of six wins and only two defeats.”
Sixteen teams will compete in the group stage from Sept. 12-17 across Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Split. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knock-out stage from Nov. 21-26 in Malaga.
Spain will play Serbia, the Czech Republic and South Korea in Group C in Valencia.
Daniil Medvedev warns against scorching New York temperatures at US Open
Daniil Medvedev has warned that one player “is going to die” given the intense humidity and soaring temperatures during the US Open.
New York is in the midst of a heatwave and in the middle of the day on Wednesday, when Medvedev was taking on Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian quarter-final, temperatures reached 33C amid humid conditions.
In the third set, with Medvedev two sets up, the outspoken world No 3 spoke directly into the camera, saying: “One player is going to die, and then you’re going to see...”
And the Russian added: “This and the Tokyo Olympic Games [were the worst conditions ever], it was brutal.
“The only good thing I see in these conditions is that both suffer. It’s tough for both of us.
“There were ups and downs but that’s so normal. At the end of the third set I kind of couldn’t see the ball anymore. I kind of played with sensations.
“It seemed like he couldn’t run anymore, but he kept coming back. Super tough to win.”
Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev add chapter to long journey
Novak Djokovic met Daniil Medvedev when the Russian was just a prospect at 19 years of age.
After Medvedev denied Djokovic the calendar slam in 2021, the Serbian will be out for revenge.
If Medvedev could win another final against perhaps the greatest to ever do it, his legacy would improve to bring him closer to the second tier of the greats in this era, including Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
Daniil Medvedev knows he will need to produce perfect performance to win US Open
Daniil Medvedev knows he will have to be the “best-ever version” of himself if he is to win a second US Open title.
Medvedev rated himself a 12 out of 10 for his surprise semi-final victory over world number one and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Presumably the Russian third seed will have to crank that up to at least 13 if he is to deny Novak Djokovic a 24th grand-slam title.
“Against Novak, it’s always the same. He is always better than the previous time he plays,” said Medvedev.
Daniil Medvedev knows he will need to produce perfect performance to win US Open
Novak Djokovic stands in his way.
Coco Gauff claims US Open title with incredible comeback victory over Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Gauff fulfilled the script written for her as a 15-year-old by succeeding Serena Williams as America’s first teenage grand slam champion in more than 20 years.
Williams’ diamond-encrusted and star-studded departure from tennis at Flushing Meadows last year showcased the impact she has had on the sport over 25 years.
But it also left a big hole, particularly for tennis in the US, where a dearth of male success over the same period has seen its profile wane.
Now 12 months later, here is Gauff, taking over the baton in seamless fashion and poised to become one of the world’s biggest sporting stars.
Gauff claims US Open title with incredible comeback victory over Sabalenka
The 19-year-old beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 - though the Belarusian will be world No.1 next week
What time is the US Open men’s final and how can I watch it?
The men’s final is one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the entire US Open tournament, and will see Novak Djokovic take on Daniil Medvedev in a repeat of the 2021 final.
Alcaraz was the US Open defending champion and world number one, but he was beaten by Medvedev in four sets.
Djokovic did not compete in last year’s tournament due to the United States’ coronavirus vaccine requirements, but will want to add to his tally, against the 27-year-old Russian who beat him in straight sets two years ago.
Djokovic has 23 grand slams to his name, and if he can secure a 24th it would level Margaret Court’s record of singles titles.
What time is the US Open men’s final and how can I watch it?
Everything you need to know about the US Open men’s final
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