Russia’s Daniil Medvedev upset world number one Novak Djokovic to win his first major championship (Grand Slam) on Sunday (September 12). Currently, he is the second Russian player to win the US Open following Marat Safin in 2000. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon in 2021. If Djokovic had won the final against Medvedev, he would have completed the Calendar Grand Slam. Medvedev, on the other hand, was in great form in the final, defeating Djokovic in straight sets. Take a look at Daniil Medvedev's journey to the US Open 2021.
Daniil Medvedev Journey to the US Open 2021
25-year-old Daniil Medvedev won the US Open 2021 in straight sets over 34-year-old Novak Djokovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The second seed Daniil Medvedev had a fantastic tournament at the recently ended US Open 2021. He dropped one set in the quarter-final match against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. He won the remainder of the matches in straight sets, with the exception of that one.
Daniil Medvedev played a seeded opponent for the first time in the Round of 16. Britain's Dan Evans was her opponent. After beating Dan Evans in the quarterfinals (6-3, 6-4, 6-3), Daniil Medvedev gained a lot of confidence heading into the semifinals. Then he overcame the 12th seeded Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime (6-4, 7-5, 6-2).
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Daniil Medvedev's final match opponent Novak Djokovic had his ups and downs throughout the campaign. He dropped several sets and had to fight hard for every victory from the first round until the semifinals. However, in the knockout stage, Djokovic faced tougher opponents than Medvedev. He played against 6th seed Matteo Berrettini (5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3) in the quarter-finals, he faced 4th seed Alexander Zverev (4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2) in the semi-finals. Furthermore, he had a tough match against Japanese Kei Nishikori in the fourth round.
Daniil Medvedev was assured in his abilities going into the final, and his performance reflected that confidence. He was on fire, winning the most games on the second serve (76 percent). He also earned 99 points, compared to 83 points for Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev gained momentum all through the match and won each set by 6-4 margin.
The Russian avenged a straight-set loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in February 2021, forcing errors from his opponent with powerful serving, dominating Djokovic from the baseline, and completing points with accurate wins.
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Medvedev broke out in a big smile after clinching the match and pondered finally claiming his first Grand Slam championship.
Daniil Medvedev's Professional Tennis Career
Daniil Medvedev is the son of Sergey Medvedev and Olga Medvedeva, and was born in Moscow in 1996. His father pushed him to take tennis lessons when he was nine years old. He was then admitted into the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth, and Tourism. He afterward relocated to France with his family, where he attended a tennis academy.
At the 2015 Kremlin Cup, Medvedev made his ATP main draw debut in the doubles event, partnering with Aslan Karatsev. At the 2016 Nice Open, Medvedev made his ATP singles main draw debut. He won his first singles ATP World Tour match at the 2016 Ricoh Open.
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Medvedev made his first ATP singles final in January 2017 and won his first Grand Slam match in the first round of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships against Stan Wawrinka. At the 2018 Sydney International, Medvedev won his maiden ATP championship.
In the year 2019, he won six Master titles and competed in six finals in a row. More notably, he made his first appearance in the US Open final, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. He was the ATP finals winner in 2020 and earned his third Masters championship. The next year, he reached the final of the Australian Open, won the ATP Cup, and won his fourth Masters championship.
Bottom Line
Following the golden era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, tennis fans often debate about who will dominate men's tennis in the future. The 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev has a strong chance of becoming one of the best players of his generation if he can stay injury-free and strive for perfection. Because many pundits and fans were impressed by Daniil Medvedev's strong attitude and competitive approach to the game during the main event of the US Open 2021, particularly in the final against Novak Djokovic, one of the all-time greats. On the other side, Russian tennis fans anticipate him to usher in a new era of the tennis in their country.
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