Djokovic’s 24th Major Victory Shakes Tennis World; No Passing of the Torch Yet?

By becoming the oldest player to win the U.S. Open trophy in the Open Era on Sunday, 36-year-old Novak Djokovic demonstrated that he has no plans to hand the baton to the next generation just yet.

The days of the “Big Three” are long gone, with Roger Federer having retired and the frequently injured Rafa Nadal preparing to call it quits after the upcoming season, but Djokovic, the remaining member of that trio, assured New Yorkers that he is far from done.

He won his fourth Flushing Meadows championship as well as a record-tying 24th Grand Slam trophy with his 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 victory over the Russian Daniil Medvedev, but Djokovic still wants more. In order to reach the final, Djokovic defeated two of the brightest young stars from the United States: 20-year-old Ben Shelton and 25-year-old Taylor Fritz.

But, Medvedev was an older opponent who provided him the chance to erase his demons because two years prior, the Russian had defeated him on the same court while attempting to complete a calendar Grand Slam. Djokovic took advantage of the situation and dominated the 27-year-old in a series of wearisome rallies.

After he won his 22nd major championship in Australia, he equaled Spain’s Rafael Nadal, and when he defeated Casper Ruud at Roland Garros to win the match, he outright broke the men’s record.

From Setbacks to Triumph at the US Open

djokovic’s-24th-major-victory-shakes-tennis-world-no-passing-of-the-torch-yet — By becoming the oldest player to win the U.S. Open trophy in the Open Era on Sunday, 36-year-old Novak Djokovic demonstrated that he has no plans to hand the baton to the next generation just yet.

In Wimbledon, 16-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated Djokovic’s bid for a 24th championship, and that setback caused him to speculate that perhaps his time had come and the next generation was poised to surpass him.

But after triumphing in Cincinnati and navigating the Flushing Meadows draw with ease, Djokovic demonstrated that the status quo would not be shifting anytime soon.

The victory on Sunday will also help Djokovic put some of his less pleasant experiences of New York behind him. He won in 2018, but his title defense the following year was cut short in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury and a chorus of jeers from the crowd.

He was disqualified in the fourth round of the COVID-quieted 2020 edition without any spectators when, during a petulant swipe at a ball, he unintentionally struck a line judge in the throat.

He had additional struggles in 2021 when Medvedev defeated him in the championship, and because of travel limitations imposed by the United States as a result of his refusal to receive the COVID vaccine, he was unable to attend the tournament in 2022.

But, Djokovic had nothing but pure joy on Sunday since he already knew he would reclaim the top spot in the global rankings when they were updated later on Monday.

Djokovic had nothing encouraging to say to those vying to succeed him as he basked in the joy of his victory.

Source: Reuters