“What are you still doing here?” Daniil Medvedev jokes that Novak Djokovic will continue to dominate tennis and ‘play in many more finals’ after the Serbian achieved a record 24th Grand Slam by winning the US Open
- Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the US Open final
- The Serbian has now won a record 24 Grand Slam titles
- Sunday’s title was Djokovic’s fourth US Open title and his first in five years
Daniil Medvedev believes Novak Djokovic will still be a regular in Grand Slam tournament finals in the coming years as he wonders if the Serbian ever plans to ‘take it easy’.
Djokovic won a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title on Sunday as he won a fourth US Open crown after beating Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
The Serbian’s latest victory at Flushing Meadows – the fourth of his career and first in five years – put him level with Margaret Court’s record and two ahead of Rafael Nadal.
And the Russian, who defeated Djokovic in straight sets on the same stage two years ago, expects the 36-year-old to be around for a while.
“First of all, I want to ask Novak: “What are you still doing here? Come on!”, Medvedev joked late on Sunday evening during the trophy presentation at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Daniil Medvedev believes Novak Djokovic will remain a regular in Grand Slam finals despite being 36
The Serbian won a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title in New York on Sunday evening
“Jokes aside, what is that? Our third final? Maybe not the last. I hope so, because you’ll probably do a lot more with it.
‘I don’t know when you plan to slow down. Congratulations to you and your team. I mean, 24 (Grand Slam titles).
‘I feel like I don’t have a bad career and I have 20 titles. You have 24 grand slams. Wow.’
Over the past two decades, Roger Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have won 66 Grand Slam tournaments out of 80, starting with the Swiss’ victory at Wimbledon in 2003.
Medvedev is one of only eight players outside the Big Three to have tasted victory in a major and reflected that his career could have been very different in a different era.
“I’m thrilled to have beaten Novak in a grand slam final, which is probably the highlight of my career at the moment,” he said when asked about his 2021 win.
‘At the same time, maybe if he (Djokovic) and Rafa (Nadal) didn’t exist (…) I played five finals against them and only managed to win one! So I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But you know, (Djokovic) pushes me to get better.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, admitted that equaling Court’s record was beyond his wildest dreams when he started his career.
“To write the history of this sport is something very remarkable and special,” he said.
The Russian joked that his career would have included many more titles if it weren’t for Djokovic
Djokovic triumphed in straight sets against the Russian at Flushing Meadows
Medvedev had a set point in the second set, but missed his chance in the tiebreak
‘Special in every possible way and in every possible meaning of the word. It’s difficult to describe in words. I had a childhood dream when I was seven or eight years old. I wanted to become the best player in the world and win the Wimbledon trophy.
‘That was all I wanted.
But when I realized that I obviously started dreaming new dreams and setting new goals, I never thought I would be talking about 24 Grand Slams here.
‘I never thought this would be reality. But over the last few years I’ve felt like I have an opportunity, I have a shot at history, and why not take it when it comes?”