As the sun set on Flushing Meadows on Sunday evening, Rod Laver remained the last man to win the Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic’s bid ended in the U.S. Open finals when he played shakily and nervously in the first two sets and was routed, 4-6, 4-6, 4-6, by No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev before 25,700 chanting fans at what sounded like Arthur Ashe-Novak Stadium.
In the bitter, history-denying loss, Djokovic managed to turn the stadium into a frenzy as they chanted “No-vak’’ across the third set, pulling for a comeback in the final set.
During one third-set changeover, after he pulled within 5-4 after trailing 5-1, Djokovic smiled, gave a thumbs-up and then covered his face in a towel as tears welled up.
After the match, Djokovic also was seen in his chair before the awards ceremony crying into his towel.
Djokovic received a standing ovation as he took the court to start the match but never got into his groove as Medvedev served brilliantly in the first set after he broke Djokovic in the first game.
“Even though I didn’t win, my heart is filled with joy because you guys made me feel very special on the court,’’ Djokovic said during the ceremony. “You guys touched my soul. I never felt like this in New York.’’
Later in his press conference, Djokovic, who’s never been a big crowd favorite despite his greatness, added, “They pleasantly surprised me. I did not expect anything. The emotion, the energy was so strong — as strong as winning 21 Grand Slams.’’
Which he didn’t accomplish Sunday either.
Djokovic had parlayed this year’s Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and needed the Open to complete the historic sweep known as the Grand Slam, which hasn’t been done since Laver’s 1969 milestone.
The defeat kept Djokovic at 20 majors — still tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Medvedev’s serve was too good (16 aces, eight in the first set) and Djokovic struggled with his second serve and usual spectacular movement.
“He was hitting his spots very well [on his serve],’’ Djokovic said. “He came out very determined. You could feel he was just at highest of his abilities in every shot. He had a lot of clarity. On the other hand, I was just below par with my game. My legs were not there. I made a lot of unforced errors [38, seven in the first three games]. I didn’t have no serve really.’’
Djokovic had sensational fan support across the match. Djokovic was even applauded when, in an unseemly manner, he smashed his racket and damaged it during the second set as Medvedev went up a game point. There were only scattered boos at Djokovic’s temper tantrum but he was cheered heavily when he returned to the court with a new racket but his same mediocre form.
“He definitely was not at his best,’’ Medvedev said.
Djokovic was all class afterward in saluting Medvedev who won his first major title after being in two Grand Slam finals.
“Amazing match,’’ Djokovic said. “If anyone who deserves a Grand Slam title right now it’s you. I wish you many more majors in the future.’’
With fans chanting “No-vak, No-vak’’ before every big point, Djokovic made a strong rally from 5-1 down in the third set, getting within 5-4. Djokovic’s fans cheered wildly at every fault. Medvedev was forced to serve balls amid the chaos as the chair umpire offered few warnings and double faults ensued.
“It was definitely tough,’’ Medvedev said. “I knew all I could do was focus on myself. If it would be 5-all, it would start to get crazy. I definitely made some double-faults because of it. That makes it even more sweet that finally I managed to pass a first serve on the third match point.’’
Medvedev said the Djokovic madness was “understandable’’ and called him “the greatest tennis player in history.’’
A 2019 Open finalist, the second seed had dropped just one set in his first six matches while Djokovic had played four four-setters and a five-setter before Sunday. The 34-year-old Serbian admitted it could have been a factor — especially the three-pronged gauntlet of Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev and Medvedev.
“I had more hours on the court spent from Daniil,’’ Djokovic said. “But was also emotionally very demanding period for me in the last six months.’’
In fact, Djokovic admitted as he sat in his chair awaiting the ceremony — it would’ve included Laver had he won — he felt “relief.’’
“I was glad it was over because the buildup for this tournament — mentally, emotionally I had to deal with the last couple of weeks was just a lot to handle,’’ he said.
The celebrities came out for Djokovic, with Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Chuck Scarborough, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Vonn and Henrik Lundqvist all in attendance, according to the USTA.
But Medvedev had the final act — falling on his side after winning the match in what he called a “dead-fish celebration’’ known in the video gaming industry. Medvedev wanted to do something “legendary’’ for the gamers and he certainly took out a legend.
