Daniil Medvedev Denies Novak Djokovic Grand Slam, Wins U.S. Open

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in straight sets to claim his first major championship and prevent Djokovic from completing his Grand Slam.

The stage was set for a coronation, with Novak Djokovic just one win away from completing a feat that no male player has pulled off in over 50 years. A victory would have made Djokovic the first tennis player since Steffi Graf in 1988 and first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the Grand Slam, and would have also meant Djokovic stood alone as the men's career leader with 21 career Grand Slam victories.

Instead, 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev stole the show.

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, to deny Djokovic history and claim his first carer Grand Slam title, avenging his loss to Djokovic earlier this year in the Australian Open final. Medvedev, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, had won 12 times previously on the ATP Tour but had never before won a major until Sunday's impressive showing.

What. A. Performance. 👏

Daniil Medvedev wins the #USOpen after defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LKuKwX4G6B

— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2021

Though the three sets were tight, Medvedev controlled the match from the start. He aced Djokovic 16 times compared to Djokovic's six, and won four break points while dropping just one service game.

As the match wore on, Djokovic continued to press, resulting in more mistakes. He made 38 unforced errors compared to Medvedev's 31, while the Russian also won an impressive 58% of points on his second serve.

Medvedev is the first Russian man to win a Grand Slam tournament since Marat Safin won the Australian Open in 2005. Maria Sharapova is the last Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, having won the French Open in 2014.