Medvedev kisses the championship trophy.
Billy Jane King, Rod Laver, Tracy Austin, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and entertainment stars including Brad Pitt are packed all over Arthur Ashe Stadium, all of whom want to witness miracles in New York.
ATP world number one Djokovic is just one race away from his record 21st Grand Slam title and 2021 Grand Slam, with 25-year-old Russian Medvedev across the line between him and the result.
On the morning of the 13th, after 2 hours and 15 minutes of competition, the Russian, who was not optimistic before the game, defeated the top seed 6-4 with three 6-4, and finally won the 2021 US Open men's singles championship for the first time after losing two Grand Slam singles finals.
Medvedev not only fulfilled his dream, but also, as he joked before the game , successfully "kept Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all at 20 Grand Slams".
Medvedev realized the long-cherished wish of the "post-95s".
"I don't want to swim, I want to learn tennis"
"Ladies and gentlemen, new American Open champion Daniel Medvedev!" With a loud introduction from the live host, he calmly received the championship trophy from Tennis Hall of Fame Chairman Stan Smith.
This is Medvedev's 3rd Grand Slam final, and his first appearance on the Grand Slam final stage was in New York. In the late summer and early autumn of 2018, he rose to the bottom of the game with a big score of 0-2 and fought with Nadal to the decider, and in the end it was only because of the gap in experience that he missed the championship, but it still frightened the Spaniards.
Then came this year's Australian Open. At Melbourne Park Seven months ago, everyone expected Medvedev to cause a little trouble for the hot Djokovic, but at that time, the world number one was still clean and clean to win the Australian Open 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, without giving the Russians any chance.
The third time he returned to New York, his opponent was Djokovic. Today, just seven months later, their identities have changed a little bit: the Serbian has won the French Open and Wimbledon to become the 20-time Grand Slam champion, and Medvedev replaced Nadal in March to become the new ATP second.
But what they are pursuing is still the same, that is, the US Open men's singles championship in the near future.
Sharapova (center) comes to cheer on her compatriot Medvedev.
New York and Melbourne, two cities where Medvedev's career was very important, were also cities that influenced the great honors of his lifelong idols.
In 2000, 20-year-old Marat Safin beat Pete Sampras in straight sets in New York. At that time, Medvedev, who was born on February 11, 1996, was just 4 years old, and he had not yet started playing and did not know the predecessor of the "Tsar".
But on 30 January 2005, when Safine withstood the one-sided cheers of Australian fans to defeat No. 3 seed Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and winning the men's singles final at the Australian Open in 2005, the under-9-year-old junior watched the match in front of the TV.
Safine won the 2005 Australian Open.
Little Medvedev's passion for tennis was ignited, and although he didn't know what professional tennis was, he still saw an advertisement for tennis training by the pool when his parents took him to practice swimming, "I don't want to swim, I want to learn tennis!" ”
From that moment on, the fates of Suffin, born on January 27, 1980, and Medvedev, born on February 11, 1996, began to make a wonderful connection:
They were born and raised in the same city, and both left their homeland as teenagers for tennis — the "Tsar" went to Spain, where he trained for several years and became very good friends with Ferrero; Medvedev went to France, enjoying the sun and sweating in the small town of Antibes on the Mediterranean coast.
Facing the calm Medvedev, Deyo dropped the beat.
Stay calm and beat Djokovic
This association continues to this day. They crossed 21 years to become the last and this one to win the men's singles title at the Billy Jane King National Tennis Center.
However, before the game, it was not Medvedev who was unanimously optimistic about the famous players, experts and fans, but Djokovic, who aimed to set various records.
Brad Gilberto, the "gold coach" who was a commentator at ESPN, said there were no loopholes in the Serbian match and that Medvedev would only have a chance to play if he served and took the lead.
Another commentator, Bill Connelly, held the same view, but he believed the No. 2 seed was not in a less pessimistic situation, after all, Djokovic had conceded a set in the past few games and was not as stable as in the past.
However, all analysis is only the opinion of others, and fate is always in Medvedev's own hands.
The No. 2 seed broke off from the start, and it was with the top seed leading 40-15. It boosted his morale and set the tone for the game – Djokovic had no way to break from his well-served opponents, and his own serve was often challenged.
With large angles slashing, small balls, and serves, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has done everything in his power to get as many points as possible from indestructible opponents. Yet the Russians were prepared, both tactically and psychologically.
In the 4th set of the second set, the Serb, after missing the break point several times, was furious at his performance and slammed the racket the ground. After 3 consecutive times, the racket changed shape, and the shock absorber with his personal logo fell to the ground, turning around a few times and stopping.
Roddick in the stands once said that the Serbian "takes your feet first, then your soul" in the game, but this morning's MEN's Open men's singles final, he was taken away by Medvedev, who was incredibly calm and determined.
At the award ceremony, Djokovic cried. Amid the applause from the audience, he choked up and delivered his own speech, "Congratulations to Medvedev, incredible game, you did a fantastic job. Congratulations to your team, you are one of the best players on the tour, we have a good relationship and I believe you will get more Grand Slams in the future. ”
"Although I didn't win tonight, my heart is still full of joy because you made me feel different. I've never felt this before in New York, love you guys, thank you for your support of me, we'll see you soon! ”
Brad Pitt in the stands (left).
Grateful to the wife, the trophy is a gift
The winner was presented to Stan Smith, president of the Tennis Hall of Fame, who has won 39 singles titles in his career.
As a newcomer to lifting a Grand Slam title trophy for the first time, Medvedev said he was a little unsure of what to say – "Sorry audience and Djokovic, we all know what he's chasing tonight, and we all know what he's achieved in his career. I haven't told anyone before, and now I want to say: 'You're the best tennis player in my heart ever'. ”
The Serbs who heard this sentence smiled, and the audience erupted into a tsunami of applause. It was a tough night for Djokovic, but heartfelt respect from his opponents brought a smile back to his face.
The Russian then thanked his team, he did not go easy on the road to the Grand Slam title, and it was the support of everyone around him that made him stand on the podium he is now.
Finally he mentioned his wife in the stands, who married on September 13, 2018, and today is just the anniversary of the second anniversary. He said that he had always remembered the day, but because the game was still going on, he didn't have time to pick out gifts.
"Before the semi-finals, I thought OK, and if I lose, I'll hurry up and prepare. Then I won, and there was only one thing on my mind, now I didn't have time to pick out gifts, and I had to win the final. I love you Darsha, thank you. ”
Medvedev's unique way of celebrating.
In addition to confessing his wife on the spot, Medvedev, who has a colorful amateur life, also paid tribute to his favorite video game after cashing in on the match points.
Instead of falling to his knees or on his back like the other champions, he threw the racket and jumped to the side, fell to the ground and secretly threw up his tongue.
"This is really a new trick," the official media of the US Open wrote on the social networking site: "From the celebration of EA SPORTS FIFA, Medvedev used an L2+ Left button. ”
The Russians say that only players can understand, and he himself is a big player and has played a certain level. As a game guru, at the age of 14 he competed in the PS Contest at the Russian National Cyber Games; at the 2018 Bassar Open, although he lost to Federer in the semi-finals, he won a big victory in the NHL game battle with coach Giles Selvara.
Outside of the game, the Russian loves physics and math, loves chess, and has a strong ability to grasp the timing – he grasped the sweet moment of proposing to his wife Dalia in 2018, and also seized the opportunity to achieve the dream of a Grand Slam when Djokovic was surrounded by pressure.
Author: The Paper's contributing writer Carmen
Source: The Paper