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Novak Djokovic's bid for a Calendar Slam as well as a record-breaking 21st Major came to an end on Sunday, as he lost to 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2021 US Open.
Djokovic was visibly flat throughout the match and struggled with multiple aspects of his game. However, Medvedev still had to play some lights-out tennis in order to clinch the win.
That said, the Russian nearly fell prey to his nerves and a hostile crowd late into the third set, as Djokovic broke him while he served at 5-2. At that moment the Serb flashed a smile, but after holding for 4-5 he broke into tears.
During his post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic was asked to explain the emotions he was going through at that juncture of the match. In response, the World No. 1 claimed he was overwhelmed by the support he received from the crowd.
But in the same breath, Djokovic admitted that the defeat was a "tough one to swallow".
"So many different emotions," the Serb said. "What I said on the ceremony, I really mean it. Of course, part of me is very sad. It's a tough one to swallow, this loss, I mean, considering everything that was on the line."
Novak Djokovic then proceeded to heap more praise on the crowd, saying that they made him feel "very special". The support that Djokovic got this year was particularly unusual given that he is often painted as a villain by the partisan New York crowd.
"But on the other hand I felt something I never felt in my life here in New York," Djokovic said. "The crowd made me very special. They pleasantly surprised me."
The 20-time Major champion claimed he didn't have any expectations from the crowd, which is why he was taken aback by the ovation he got towards the end.
"I did not know, I did not expect anything, but the amount of support and energy and love I got from the crowd was something that I'll remember forever," Novak Djokovic said. "I mean, that's the reason on the changeover I just teared up. The emotion, the energy was so strong. I mean, it's as strong as winning 21 Grand Slams. That's how I felt, honestly. I felt very, very special."
Novak Djokovic also spoke at length about Daniil Medvedev's serve, which gave him a lot of trouble on Sunday. Medvedev won all 15 of his first-serve points in the opening set, while conceding just three points on the second.
While Djokovic did improve his return game as the match progressed, he couldn't generate too many break point opportunities.
When asked about the quality of Medvedev's serve, Djokovic was quick to acknowledge that the US Open champion was tactically and technically very sound on the day.
"I mean, he was hitting his spots very well," Djokovic said. "He came out very determined on the court. You could feel that he was just at highest of his abilities in every shot. He had a lot of clarity what he needs to do tactically. He has executed it perfectly."
Novak Djokovic further admitted that he himself was far from his best. Djokovic pointed out that he was a spent force against the Russian, and added that his erratic display and poor serve made things especially tough for him.
"The other hand, I was just below par with my game," Djokovic said. "My legs were not there. I was trying. I did my best. Yeah, I made a lot of unforced errors. I didn't have - no serve really."
While Daniil Medvedev won a lot of cheap points on his serve throughout the match, that was far from the case for Novak Djokovic. The 34-year-old was always playing catch-up, and he highlighted during the presser that he was "below par" in all elements of his game.
"If you're playing someone like Medvedev who hits his spots so well, just aces, gets a lot of free points on his first serve, you're constantly feeling pressure on your service games," Djokovic said. "I was below par with everything, to be honest. So just one of these days where unfortunately, yeah, wasn't meant to be."
Novak Djokovic was also asked if he still fancied his chances after going down by two sets, given that he came back from a similar deficit in the Roland Garros final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
But Djokovic believes it might not have been possible at all for him to stage a similar comeback against Medvedev, as he lacked in energy.
"It was different because my feeling on the court was not as good as the one that I had in Paris," Novak Djokovic said. "Just energy-wise I felt slow."
That said, Djokovic admitted he had his chances in the match, especially at the start of the second set - where he held multiple break points. The 20-time Major champion opined that the match could have taken a different course if he had converted one of those chances.
"But there was a turning point in the beginning of the second I feel like," Djokovic said. "Some break points there, opening service games of Medvedev in the second set. There was some love-40. Just one shot here and there... I was very close."
"Who knows the trajectory of the match if you would make a break in the second early," he added. "With the crowd, with the support, probably I would feel maybe different."
"When you draw a line, you have to be very satisfied with the year" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was asked later if he thought his overall time spent on the court played a role in his poor display against Daniil Medvedev. The Serb agreed that that was possible, but in the same breath highlighted that he had endured an emotionally demanding 5-6 months on tour.
"Could be. Could be," Novak Djokovic said. "I had more hours on the court spent from Daniil, that's for sure. But was also emotionally very demanding period for me in the last five, six months. Slams and Olympics and playing at home in Belgrade. Everything was coming together for me here and kind of accumulating all the emotions that I've been through."
Djokovic rued the fact that he fell short in the final hurdle, but claimed he was "very satisfied" with his season overall given that he won three Majors.
"Unfortunately I didn't make it in the final step," Djokovic said. "But when you draw a line, you have to be very satisfied with the year. Three wins, three Slams and a final. For the last couple of years I've been very transparent and vocal about my goals, to play my best tennis at slams. I'm managing to do that."
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