NOVAK DJOKOVIC equalled Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles with a masterclass against Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final overnight here in New York.
The Serbian won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 for his fourth title in New York, and in doing so he became the oldest tournament victor in the Open era.
Djokovic was overcome with emotion in the aftermath of the win.
"It means the world to me," said the 36-year-old, who today returned to No1 in the world.
"I'm really living my childhood dream. To make the history of this sport is something truly special and remarkable. I never imagined I would be here talking about 24 slams." His last slam triumph here was in 2018. Since then, he had been defaulted in the tournament and denied entry last year because of his refusal to have a Covid vaccination.
This was a repeat of the 2021 final, which Medvedev, 27, had dominated on his wedding anniversary and which ended with Djokovic in tears after receiving the crowd adulation he has so long craved, albeit in defeat.
For this final - again on the Russian's wedding anniversary-Djokovic had the majority of the backing in the arena, including American actor Matthew McConaughey in his box.
On court, he produced a strategic masterclass in what was his 10th US Open final appearance, finding a weakness in Medvedev's decision to receive so deep behind the baseline by serving and volleying more than he had done in any of his previous matches in New York.
This story is from the September 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the September 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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