Novak Djokovic was at his scintillating best in the men’s singles final at the 2023 US Open on Sunday (September 10). He defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 to win a fourth title of his career in New York. York. More importantly, the Serbian’s victory equaled Margaret Court’s record of 24 Major titles.
Djokovic’s elusive performance drew effusive praise from famed tennis journalist Jon Wertheim, who tried to put the Serb’s Grand Slam tournament numbers into perspective on his social media account.
Wertheim started by mentioning that the 36-year-old had reached 36 finals after making 72 major appearances in his illustrious career. He then expressed his astonishment that the Serb had won one of the three major tournaments he competed in with his victory over Medvedev.
“Djokovic has played 72 Majors. He has reached the final of the half. And assuming he holds up here, he’ll have won a full third place. This is just stupid #usopen,” wrote Jon Wertheim
Djokovic was at his best from the start, hitting one punch after another to break Medvedev’s defense. The Serbian won the opening set relatively easily, but was pushed to the limit by his younger rival in the second. He even avoided a set point by leaving his own serve at 6-5 before getting the tiebreak, ending a set that lasted more than 100 minutes.
Medvedev, meanwhile, was visibly tired from the nail-biting exchanges that took place during the match, and was broken twice in the third set. The Serbian kept his composure to earn a straight-sets victory.
Records galore for Novak Djokovic after US Open 2023 title
For academic purposes, Novak Djokovic has reached the final and semi-finals of a major tournament 36 and 47 times respectively. With his latest trip to the last four of the New York Major, the Serbian broke Roger Federer’s record for most Grand Slam semi-finals.
But for what it’s worth, the Swiss maestro still holds the record for most quarter-final appearances at Majors (58). However, the Serbian could leave even this record in the dust very soon, provided he makes the last eight of next year’s Australian Open and Roland Garros (having made 57 quarter-final appearances in his career).
It is also pertinent to note that the 36-year-old is the only player in the Open era to have played at least seven championship matches at all four major tournaments. He also stands alone as the only player to have reached at least ten semi-finals (or higher) at each of the four Majors.