U.S. Open: In losing the biggest match of his career, Novak Djokovic finally is embraced by New York fans
Novak Djokovic in tears after losing to Daniil Medvedev in straight set in the U.S. Open men's final at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, Sunday Sept. 12, 2021 Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Imagine the irony of it all. On a day in which Novak Djokovic finally won the hearts of tennis fans, he lost everything else he was playing for.
Djokovic cannot claim to be the greatest men’s tennis player of all time. Not even on paper.
The Serbian lost his bid to become the first male in history to win 21 career Grand Slam titles Sunday, losing a 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 stunner to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The loss means he remains tied with his greatest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, with 20 Grand Slam wins apiece. It also means he failed in his bid to become the first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year.
It was hard not to feel for Djokovic as he cried briefly into his towel during a changeover before the final game of the match. The match had been just so unexpectedly lopsided, considering how much was at stake and how hard the crowd was rooting for him.
And they continued to root for him as he walked to center court to be awarded the second-place silver platter, instead of the trophy for which he had been playing. The crowd chanted his name and one fan unrolled a giant banner that declared he was the greatest of all time.
Djokovic seemed genuinely touched by the moment.
"I would like to say tonight, even though I have not won the match, tonight my heart is filled with joy," he said. "I am the happiest man alive because you guys made me feel so special on the court. You touched my soul. I’ve never felt this way in New York."
Djokovic has never been the most beloved of stars. He doesn’t have the patrician grace of Federer or the lovable feistiness of Nadal. Coming along a few years after the two began their rivalry, he just always seemed to want to be a part of the club a little too much.
He tried too hard early to win over fans, offering up sort of cringy imitations of his fellow players. He occasionally made bizarre proclamations such as his Instagram post last year that claimed positive mental energy could turn toxic food into healing water. And at times his sportsmanship has been questionable, such as last year when he was kicked out of the tournament after accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball he had struck in frustration.
Yet, all that weirdness seemed to be forgotten this week as Djokovic made a run at the history books. There is no doubt he had a remarkable year, winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and 27 straight Grand Slam matches before losing Sunday night.
With each match he played at the U.S. Open, Djokovic seemed to get a little more popular. And it’s possible that the weight of it all was just a little too much on Sunday.
"It was also an emotionally very demanding period for me the last five, six months," Djokovic said in the interview room afterward. "Everything was coming together for me here and kind of accumulating all the emotions I’ve been through. Unfortunately, I didn’t make the final step."
Djokovic, 34, is in great shape and it seems likely that he will have a few more cracks at winning a Grand Slam final again. It is just as equally hard to imagine that we will see a run like this one for a long time.
Djokovic said it was the magnitude of all of it that caused him to cry into his towel before the final game of the match.
"Part of me is very sad. It’s a tough one to swallow, this loss, considering everything that was on the line," he said. "But on the other hand, I felt something I never felt in my life here in New York. The crowd made me feel special . . . The emotion, the energy was so strong. I mean, it's as strong as winning 21 Grand Slams. That's how I felt, honestly. I felt very, very special.
"They touched my heart, honestly."
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
