We got caught up in the chase, the tournament-by-tournament milestones; fixated on the kind of numbers that might separate Novak Djokovic from Rafael Nadal from Roger Federer, a delectable, GOAT-status debate playing out before us in real time.
As if the collective athletic genius of the Big Three could be explained by something as simple as mathematics.
But Djokovic surpassed Federer on the all-time Slam list with No. 21 at Wimbledon last summer, then one-upped Nadal earlier this year on the red clay in Paris with No. 23. Now the only man to have won all four majors at least three times, we couldn’t help but consider the historic, record-book weight of all that the Serb was achieving on the tennis court.
Coming into the 2023 US Open, the Belgradian was looking to become the first man to win three Grand Slams in a season for a fourth time. More significantly, he was poised to match what is widely considered the most hallowed benchmark in the sport, now a half-century old: Aussie serve-and-volleyer Margaret Court’s all-time record 24 major singles titles.
But as Djokovic told USOpen.org after his 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) semifinal dismissal of American upstart Ben Shelton, he’ll leave the number-crunching to us.
It’s not about 24.
“Not really, to be honest. I’m not thinking about that,” he said. “I’m aware that these kinds of occasions where I play in a Grand Slam final at this stage are almost like a present that I need to accept and try to make the most out of it. I was very close to make 24 in London, but lost to a better player on that day in a close five-set match.”
New rival Carlos Alcaraz stormed back from a set down to defeat Djokovic in the final at the All England Club, prevailing in a five-setter, 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
But the match that really cautioned Djokovic not to become all-consumed with record numbers came right here on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center two years back, surely the most painful loss of his storied career. He came into the 2021 US Open final a perfect 27-for-27 on the year at the majors, but a single victory away from the ultra-rare calendar-year Grand Slam, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since "Rocket" Rod Laver pulled it off (for a second time) in 1969. Daniil Medvedev spoiled that dream with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 upset, leaving Djokovic in tears before the match had even ended.
“Of course, I’m very proud of it,” said Djokovic this week en route to his Open Era-best 10th final in Flushing Meadows, fully aware of the opportunity before him. “But again, I don’t have much time, nor do I allow myself to reflect on these things or think about the history too much in this sense because when I did that in the past, like the ‘21 final here, I was maybe overwhelmed with the occasion and the opportunity and I underperformed. So I don’t want this to happen again, and I’ll try to just focus on what needs to be done and tactically prepare myself for that match.”
The great ones, they learn from the losses, sometimes even more than from the wins.
As fate would have it (only in sports), Djokovic would earn a rematch with Medvedev on this very same court at this year’s US Open. But this time his priorities had changed. That record mark, Court’s elusive 24, was still very much there, of course. But instead of harping on the number, Djokovic was simply cherishing his opportunity. Federer has retired. Nadal, slowed by injury, had announced that 2024 would be his last go on tour. Who knows how many of these big-trophy moments lay ahead for Djokovic, now on the other side of 35 and a busy husband/father of two.
“The fact is that at 36, every Grand Slam final could be the last one,” he said. “So I think that I probably value these occasions and opportunities to win another Slam more than I did maybe 10 years ago, because 10 years ago I felt like, ‘Hey, I still have quite a few years ahead of me.’ I don’t know how many I have ahead of me now, I don’t know how many of the years where I play four Slams in the season.”
“I see this every Grand Slam that I play right now as really a golden opportunity to make more history.”
Djokovic hasn’t always felt fully accepted in the cavernous confines of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Truth be told, until that 2021 loss to Medvedev in straight sets, he hadn’t truly received his proper due from the New York crowd. But he felt their embrace that night, even in the losing effort. He would need them again in the rematch on Sunday evening.
Following a punishing 31-shot exchange midway through the second set, Djokovic went down on the court. Was he injured? Was he simply feeling his age against a stubborn opponent nearly a decade his junior?
Chants of "Nole, Nole, Nole!" and "Eeee-duh-moooooo!" ("Idemo!" = "Let’s go!" in Serbian) seemed to spur him on, lifted by the singular, gladiatorial roar that fills this 23,000-seat arena, the biggest in the sport, only magnified when the roof is closed.
Djokovic would thank them for having his back upon sealing a 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory.
“I had a childhood dream when I was seven, eight: I wanted to become the best player in the world and win a Wimbledon trophy. That was the only thing I wanted,” said Djokovic, now a four-time US Open champion and the tournament’s oldest men’s titlist in the Open Era. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new objectives, new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams.”
Twenty-four. It was finally in hand, a present he was happy to accept.
