This entry into the tennis history books is a significant one: Novak Djokovic triumphs at the US Open and closes in on record holder Margaret Court with his 24th title.
Novak Djokovic dedicated his title for the history books to an old friend whom he misses dearly.
After his triumph at the US Open, the insatiable Serb put on a shirt with the inscription “Mamba Forever” – in memory of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant, who went down in sports history with jersey number 24. A number that now also stands for Djokovic’s unique career.
With 6:3, 7:6 (7:5), 6:3 he defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final and equaled the 50-year-old record of the Australian Margaret Court with his 24th Grand Slam title. “That’s what it means World for me,” said Djokovic: “I could never imagine talking about 24 Grand Slams. Last year I realized that I have a chance to make history.”
He seized this opportunity and secured his fourth title in New York in 3:17 hours, the first since 2018. “I’m really living my childhood dream,” said Djokovic, who had prepared his success and the subsequent celebration meticulously as usual.
Oldest US Open champion of all time
“Seven days ago,” he revealed, he had the idea of honoring Kobe Bryant with a shirt. “He was a close friend, we talked a lot about winning mentality. He was one of the people I could always rely on,” said Djokovic. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in 2020. Djokovic received warm applause for his gesture at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The mentality made the difference that afternoon and gave Djokovic his next big title. Australia, Paris, New York: He won three of the four biggest tennis tournaments this year. All he was missing from the calendar Grand Slam, this historic task in professional tennis, was winning the final at Wimbledon. Djokovic had already come close to this rare feat, which was last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969: in 2021, Medvedev prevented the winning streak from being completed in New York.
Now the revenge in the style of a demonstration of power: From the first rally, Djokovic left no doubt about his irrepressible will to win. He was tactically superior to Medvedev, who was nine years younger and had dethroned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) in the semifinals. At 36, Djokovic deservedly became the oldest US Open champion in professional tennis.
And thus underpinned his exceptional position, which is now reflected again in the world rankings: Djokovic replaces Alcaraz in first place and extends his record to 390 weeks at the top. He collected three million dollars for the victory, increasing his career prize money to 175 million dollars – of course also a superlative.
Boris Becker is worried about Novak Djokovic
The almost 25,000 tennis fans, including numerous film and pop stars, were expecting a crime thriller. After all, Medvedev had disenchanted Alcaraz and reminded the US audience of his three-set win in 2021. This time, however, Djokovic found solutions, even if Medvedev looked fresher and won the long rallies.
Boris Becker was impressed by Djokovic’s serve-and-volley qualities on “sportdeutschland.tv” and worried about the fitness of his former protégé. “Today he’s really tired, the network attacks speak volumes,” said Becker.
Djokovic actually staggered, fended off a set ball and saved himself in the tie-break – one of his many special disciplines.
Son Stefan shifted restlessly in his chair in the box, but dad had a plan and support from the fans. After two and a half hours, Djokovic was 2-0 sets ahead and Medvedev called the physiotherapist. The fight under the closed roof also left its mark on the younger challenger. Djokovic took the lead with the “Mamba Mentality” that once characterized the great Kobe Bryant.