Novak Djokovic wept in the final set against Daniil Medvedev, his US Open loss that ended his historic Grand Slam bid. Djokovic, 34 was trying to be the sixth man in tennis history with a calendar sweep at the majors. He also wanted to win an all-time record 21st Men’s title.
Russian Medvedev, who has lost twice in Grand Slam finals before, won the match with a 6-4,6-4,6-4 win. Djokovic couldn’t contain his emotions when it became clear that his record-breaking dreams were in jeopardy.
During a changeover, the Serb started to cry and used his towel to wipe the tears away as he was getting ready to face Medvedev’s serve. Victory would have seen him surpass Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in his quest to be the greatest male athlete in sports history.
It would also mark the first time that a male has won a calendar Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 when Djokovic said it would be the “greatest achievement” of his career. He had won Wimbledon, the French Open, and the Australian Open. But it was Medvedev second-seed who won his maiden Grand Slam at the last major of the year.
Djokovic was not only distraught but also became increasingly frustrated at the way things were going. He tried to smash his racquet, but he was stopped by a ball girl who, visibly scared, ran onto the court.