Two months ago in New York, Novak Djokovic was one win away from becoming the first man to win the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969, and at the same time surpass both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most Major singles titles ever won by a man. But in the championship match of the US Open, Djokovic appeared nervous and exhausted, against an opponent who allowed him no time to settle into the situation. In his third Slam final, Daniil Medvedev took the early lead in each set, and never let it go. On Sunday, Novak gets the chance to avenge perhaps the most painful loss of his career, while Medvedev vies to reinforce it was far from a fluke.
Sunday’s play gets underway at 12:15pm local time with the men’s doubles final, featuring Frenchmen and reigning Roland Garros champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut (3) vs. Tim Puetz and Michael Venus, who are looking for their second title this season.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Not Before 3:00pm on Court Central
Their US Open championship match was a complete reversal from the hard court Major final they played seven months prior. In Melbourne, Djokovic dominated Medvedev, forfeiting only nine games across three sets. Overall Novak is 5-4 against Daniil, and 4-3 on hard courts. Yet the Russian claimed their only tour meeting at an indoor event, during last November’s ATP Finals, by a score of 6-3, 6-3. Saturday’s semifinals were much more draining for Djokovic, as he required a third set tiebreak to overcome Hubi Hurkacz. Medvedev spent nearly an hour less on court, easily dispatching of Sascha Zverev. With his record-breaking seventh year-end No.1 ranking clinched by defeating Hurkacz, an emotional letdown on Sunday would be natural, despite how eager Novak may be to gain some revenge against Daniil. And considering this will only be the Serbian’s fourth match in two months, I like Medvedev to even this rivalry, and become the first player to defend this title since Djokovic did so in 2015.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
