Novak Djokovic embraces his six-year-old daughter after securing his 4th US Open title
Novak Djokovic secured his fourth US Open victory, leveling Margaret Court’s legendary record of 24 Grand Slam titles in the process. His triumphant return to Flushing Meadows in 2023, following a ban in 2022, solidified his status as the oldest champion to grace the courts.
In a grueling contest against Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic displayed incredible resilience and skill, ultimately prevailing in straight sets with scores of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. This win marked his first US Open championship in half a decade, reaffirming his dominance on the tennis stage.
Claiming his 24th Grand Slam title in his 36th final appearance sent a resounding message that his setback at Wimbledon was an anomaly, not a trend. Djokovic now stands two Major titles ahead of Rafael Nadal, a lead that seems insurmountable. This achievement held special significance for him, perhaps even more so than matching Margaret Court’s historic record.
Addressing the jubilant crowd, Djokovic emotionally expressed, “It obviously means the world to me. I’m living my childhood dream to compete in this sport at the top. To make history in this sport is truly remarkable and special. I never thought I would be talking about 24 Slams, but in the last couple of years, I thought I had a shot.”
In a touching tribute to his late friend, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Djokovic donned a ‘Mamba Mentality’ shirt during the trophy presentation. He explained, “I thought of wearing this T-shirt if I had the chance to win the tournament. I didn’t share it with anyone. Kobe was a close friend; we had many conversations about the winning mentality. He was one of the people I relied on the most, always there for advice and support. I thought that 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend, so I thought it would be nice to acknowledge him.” (Source: Online/AI/MNM)
NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic marked his return on Monday with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller of France in the first round of the US Open, following a one-year hiatus.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion missed last year’s tournament, as he could not travel to the US due to not being vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In the 2021 US Open, the Serbian finished as the runner-up, losing to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final.
With this win, Djokovic will next face Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
If successful, he stands to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz will defend his title against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer on Tuesday.
Also on Monday, China’s Zhang Zhizhen celebrated his first main draw win at the US Open, defeating Jeffrey John Wolf of the United States 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in a grueling match that lasted four hours and 29 minutes.
“I told myself before the decider: There is no problem, there is still one set to fight. I don’t have a lot of negative thoughts,” said Zhang.
He is slated to play against sixth-seed Casper Ruud of Norway in Round 2.
World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece advanced, besting Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. However, fourth-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark was upset by Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena, who won 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
On the women’s side, all the Chinese participants competing Monday clinched their opening matches.
Wang Xiyu mounted a comeback to beat Viktoria Hruncakova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), while Zhu Lin and Wang Xinyu dispatched their opponents in straight sets.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff rallied into the second round, coming from behind to outpace Laura Siegemund of Germany. The 19-year-old, viewed as a potent threat to champion Iga Swiatek, lost the opening set 6-3 but responded with scores of 6-2, 6-4 in the subsequent sets.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland dominated, crushing Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1 in just under an hour.
Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan progressed smoothly, defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1. (Xinhua)