Justin Timberlake, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lil Wayne. The celebrity list topped more than 100 today for the men's final of the 2023 U.S. Open. Yet as accomplished as any of the stars may be in their respective fields, do any of them sing or dance or play sports better than Novak Djokovic masters tennis? For three sets, they got the answer. And it is no.
As eyes swiveled, and jaws dropped, and smiles formed in disbelief, Djokovic won his 24th major title, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, to win the U.S. Open for the fourth time. This 24th major ties him with Margaret Court for the most singles titles won by any player, male or female, and moves him past Serena Williams, who retired last year with 23. More importantly, this puts Djokovic two majors ahead of rival Rafa Nadal and now four, amazingly, ahead of Roger Federer.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
We don't hear the term “GOAT debate” very much anymore do we? Today was vintage Djokovic. He defended, he offended, he won more than 35 points at the net and he stifled opportunities when they presented themselves. At age 36, he was also the fresher player physically, and the one more inclined to dispense pain.
Spare a thought here for Medvedev. The 2021 champion couldn't replicate his magic from two years ago, when he defeated Djokovic in the final, thwarting his bid for the Grand Slam. But he did win six matches here, including his takedown Friday night over Carlos Alcatraz. Still, he didn't have it today. His game was larded with errors. Holding setpoint in the second set, he missed a routine ball, and after that, the match seemed to seep out of him.
But what more can we say about Djokovic? Not only is he age 36, but 36 is also the number of finals in which he’s appeared. He’s entered 72. That’s right—Djokovic has made the final of half the majors he has entered, and has won a full third of them. This also marked his 16th title in his last 20 finals. And while he could not achieve his goal of winning the Grand Slam in 2023, three out of four ain’t bad. Djokovic may turn 37 next spring, but there’s little sense he’s slowing down. He’s now No. 1 in the rankings and has won four of the last six majors. The arc of tennis history is a long one. Djokovic isn’t done bending it.
