Daniil Medvedev has largely flown under the radar during the 2021 US Open—and that’s fine by him.
Much ink has been spilled about Novak Djokovic’s historic quest for the Grand Slam and what his victory could mean for the Big 3 debate, as well as teenagers Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez's historic runs into the women’s final. All the while, the No. 2 player in the world has quietly marched through the draw to reach his career’s third major final, and his second at Flushing Meadows.
It’s been a totally different experience from the last time Medvedev found himself in this position when he shot to prominence—and briefly, to infamy—at the 2019 US Open, his first time reaching a Grand Slam final.
“This year, I didn't have the stories—and that's a good thing,” Medvedev said with a sardonic smile. “Two years ago was a completely different tournament… [now] I have the experience of two finals of Slams that can help me.”
Back in 2019, Medvedev arrived in New York as a dark-horse challenger after a stellar hardcourt season saw him lift his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Cincinnati during the US Open Series. But the Russian quickly became the story of the tournament after a rude gesture to the crowd earned him a chorus of boos, which followed him from match to match.
His feud with the New York crowd made as many headlines as his on-court achievements. But in true Medvedev style, he invited the crowd to let him have it, and his self-deprecating humor slowly won over fans. By the end of the fortnight, their support reached a fever pitch as Medvedev willed himself back from two sets down against Rafael Nadal in an epic 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 final defeat.
This time around, the Russian has the air of a battle-tested veteran as he serenely returned to the final at the expense of just one set. No longer the heel nor the bright-eyed challenger, Medvedev said he has learned from his 2019 experiences and comfortably settled into new roles as world No. 2 and one of the players to beat.
“For me, experience is key. Coming [into the] first one, it was a crazy story, crazy tournament, playing against Rafa. I want to win everything I play, but I was kind of the underdog,” Medvedev recalled.
“Let's be honest, I was already happy being in the final. It was first great breakthrough. I just won a Masters 1000, which was already huge. I was in the final. So everything was positive, which helped me to play good. I was not feeling like it's a must to win.”
Now, Medvedev sets his expectations much higher.
For the second time this year, he stands between Djokovic and another Grand Slam title. The stakes have never been higher for his opponent: a victory would make Djokovic the first man in the Open Era to win all four major titles in the same year. In fact the Serbian would be just the third man in tennis history to accomplish the feat and the first in 52 years, following the footsteps of Rod Laver (1962, 1969) and Don Budge (1938).
It would also break Djokovic’s tie with rivals Nadal and Roger Federer, a 21st Grand Slam major triumph that would reignite the Greatest Of All Time debates.
But for Medvedev, the stakes are still the same: his first Grand Slam trophy—and a chance to break up the Big 3’s hegemony at the top of the sport.
“If I can make this, I'll probably be in the history books a little bit, somewhere, like, not letting him do this,” Medvedev grinned. “But I don't really care about it. I think it's more about him, that it affects him.
“From one side, for sure he's going to feel the pressure a little bit about it. From the other side, that [is] what [is] going to make him be even better in tough moments… Here we know that he will do everything to try to make it happen. I'm just going to throw everything at it, and I'm definitely not going to be thinking about Grand Slam.”
Medvedev has spent all season nipping at Djokovic’s heels. He lost out to the world No. 1 in his second Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open in a straight-sets beatdown. After reaching his career-high World No. 2 ranking in March, he became the biggest threat to Djokovic’s spot at the top in the summer, but fell short at the French Open and Wimbledon.
He’ll be hoping to buck that trend as he takes on Djokovic once again inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. The Russian’s unorthodox game is capable of neutralizing Djokovic’s firepower, and he’s done it before: he owns a respectable 3-5 head-to-head record against the Serbian player. But he’s never beaten Djokovic in a best-of-five sets format (0-2) and Djokovic has the clear lead in outdoor hardcourts, Medvedev’s favored surface (1-4).
That will only make him even more hungry for victory come Sunday.
“He has 20 Slams, going for the Grand Slam. It's not a must, but I want to do it even more,” Medvedev said.
“The more you lose something, the more you want to win it, the more you want to gain it and take it. I lost two finals. I want to win the third one.”
