Novak Djokovic on Sunday defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to win his fourth US Open and a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title, cementing his claim as the greatest tennis player in history.
The 36-year-old Djokovic won 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to become the oldest men’s champion in New York in the Open era and match Margaret Court’s all-time mark for most Grand Slam victories.
“I don’t know where to start. It obviously means the world to me,” said Djokovic, wearing a white jacket with the number 24 on his chest during the trophy presentation.
Photo: AFP
“It’s hard to describe. I’m really living my childhood dream to compete at the highest level in this sport. I never imagined I would be standing talking about 24 Grand Slams, but the last couple of years I’ve felt I have a chance and I have a shot at history and why not grab it.”
The Serbian is the first man to win three Grand Slam events in the same season four times, crowning his impending return to world No. 1 in the most fitting of ways inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The victory added to his wins at the Australian and French opens earlier this year, with the only blemish his five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of Wimbledon in July.
Photo: AFP
“You know, some people who are born, he’s a genius. He’s one of kind. Not too many people in this world like him in sport-wise,” Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic, said. “This is one of the biggest achievement in the sport history.”
Medvedev suffered his fourth loss in five Grand Slam finals, all of which were against Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.
“First of all I want to ask Novak: What are you still doing here? Come on,” Medvedev joked.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I don’t know when you are planning to slow down a little bit,” he said. “I mean, 24. I feel like I have not a bad career and I have 20 titles. You have 24 Grand Slams. Wow.”
At Louis Armstrong Stadium, Diede de Groot won her 12th straight Grand Slam wheelchair singles title, beating Yui Kamiji 6-2, 6-2 in the women’s final.
The Dutch star completed her third straight calendar-year Grand Slam, including a Golden Slam in 2021, when she also won the Paralympic gold medal. De Groot has won six straight US Open titles and 20 major singles titles overall — not that she keeps count.
“I’d like to really not worry about it too much, because then you’re going to start to think about, ‘Oh, I want to reach this or I want to reach that,’” she said. “I really just want to focus on my game, and that’s what I did today. So that’s what I’m really proud of, but I think just being this consistent is what I’m really proud of, being able to do it multiple times in the year.”
At the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka, Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Chinese partner Zhu Lin yesterday crashed out of the round of 16, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Natela Dzalamidze of Georgia and Sofya Sansere of Russia.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with AP
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe