NEW YORK, September 11. /TASS/. Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has re-claimed the number one spot in the international tennis players’ rankings list and chalked up a record 24th Grand Slam title after defeating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev on Sunday in the finals of the 2023 US Open.
On September 10, playing in the final of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic took down Medvedev in straight sets 6-3; 7-6 (7-5); 6-3, becoming the World number one again in the process.
Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain held the top spot in the previous world rankings, but lost it to Djokovic after he was knocked out in the semifinals of the tournament in New York by Medvedev.
Djokovic, 36, now shares the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles with women’s great Margaret Court. However, Court won 13 out of her 24 Grand Slam champion’s titles before the Open Era (since 1968). On the men’s side, Djokovic’s closest contender in terms of Grand Slam titles is Spain’s Rafael Nadal with 22.
Speaking to the press at the awards ceremony after the final match with Djokovic on Sunday, Medvedev complimented his opponent by saying: "Twenty four. I feel like I have not a bad career and I have 20 titles, you have 24 Grand Slams. Wow."
This is not the first time Medvedev and Djokovic faced each other in US Open final. In 2022, the Russian outplayed the Serbian all-time great, clinching his first and only Grand Slam trophy.
"Congrats to you and your team. You guys are amazing," the official website of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) quoted Medvedev as saying.
Medvedev, 27, is currently third in the ATP Rankings List. In 2022, the Russian was the number one ranked tennis player in the world for 16 weeks. He is the 2021 US Open Champion and has 20 ATP tournament titles under his belt. He has won five of those 20 titles this year. Also, in 2021, he won the Davis Cup as well as the ATP Cup playing for the Russian national team.
Speaking about his defeat to Djokovic in the final match of the 2023 US Open, Medvedev was frank saying "Oh, regrets, for sure. Should have won it, but sometimes tennis is not that easy."
"Passing for sure down the line, not cross, but I have two choices and I chose the wrong one. Had I won the second set maybe it could have been a different game," he noted.
"He was tired. He was missing some shots at the end of some long rallies. That's why it was a pity that I didn't win the second set because I felt like I was all over him, like I was dominating in a way," the Russian player added.
Before re-claiming the world’s top spot after the 2023 US Open, Djokovic already held the all-time record for number of weeks atop the ATP Rankings at 389, beating the record previously held by German tennis player Steffi Graf, who was number one in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Rankings for a total of 377 weeks.
"To make history of this sport is just something truly remarkable and special," Djokovic was quoted by the ATP’s official website as saying at the awards ceremony. "Obviously in every in every possible way, in every possible meaning of the word special. It's hard to describe in words.
"I had the childhood dream when I was seven, eight. I wanted to become the best player in the world and win the Wimbledon trophy. That was the only thing I wanted," he continued.
"But then when I realized that, obviously I started to dream new dreams and set new objectives, new goals. I never imagined that I would be here standing with you talking about 24 Slams."
This year, Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, not dropping a set in any of the finals. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3; 7-6; 7-6 at the 2023 Australian Open, outplayed Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-1); 6-3; 7-5 at the 2023 French Open in addition to his 2023 US Open win over Medvedev. At this year’s Wimbledon, the Serb suffered a five-set defeat to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, keeping him from completing the elusive calendar Grand Slam.
The 2023 US Open was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York between August 28 and September 10. The tournament had $65 million in prize money up for grabs. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Poland’s Iga Swiatek entered as the tournament's defending champions in men’s and women's singles, respectively.
Tennis players from Russia and Belarus participated at this year's US Open under a neutral status due to the current sanctions regime.