As Novak Djokovic basked in the familiar feeling of being crowned US Open champion, his defeated opponent Daniil Medvedev made an offhand comment during his on-court interview.
“I want to ask Novak, what are you still doing here?” asked Medevev, who had lost to the great Serbian for the second time in a Grand Slam final.
It’s something Djokovic, 36, is clearly thinking about too.
“Sometimes I ask myself: ‘Why do I still need this at this point after everything I’ve done? How long do I want to continue?'” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.
“I have these questions in mind, of course.
“But knowing that I’m still playing at such a high level and winning the biggest tournaments in the sport… I don’t want to leave the sport if I’m still at the top.”
And make no mistake. Djokovic is still on top.
Novak Djokovic is a tennis player without equal in the history of the game. (Getty Images: Al Bello)
By winning his 24th Grand Slam singles crown in front of the New York crowd On Sunday evening, Djokovic equalled the record held by Australian Margaret Court.
Only Serena Williams (23), Stefi Graf (22), Rafael Nadal (22) and Roger Federer (20) come close in the Open Era.
Djokovic is the only player of his generation who stands out. Given the competition he faced, he is probably the best of all time.
“I mean, 24,” Medvedev said when presented with the trophy.
“I feel like my career is not bad and I have 20 titles under my belt. You have 24 Grand Slams. Wow.”
Medvedev asked Djokovic another question during the trophy presentation: “I don’t know when you plan to slow down a little bit?”
It’s a question many new players in men’s tennis still have to ask themselves as Djokovic continues to win titles at an unprecedented rate against men nearly a decade (or more) his junior.
Djokovic’s continued excellence extends the Big Three era into its third decade.
Between them, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have won 65 of the 80 Grand Slam tournaments preceding this US Open.
But while Federer retired at 20 and Nadal seems ready to fight his body at 22, Djokovic has kept pushing forward and forward.
Of the 22 Grand Slam tournaments that have taken place since Federer’s last victory at the Australian Open in 2018, Djokovic has won 12 and Nadal six.
Novak Djokovic said he is grateful for everything tennis has given him. (Getty Images: Al Bello)
Williams is perhaps the player of this generation most comparable to Djokovic’s dominance, fending off challenger after challenger through sheer determination, hard work and overwhelming skill, coupled with a longevity that his rivals can only marvel at.
“On the one hand, I can say that I beat Novak in a Grand Slam final, this is the peak of my career so far,” Medvedev said.
“But I played five finals against him and Rafa (Nadal) and I only managed to win one, so I don’t know if it’s a good or bad rivalry.”
To speak of rivalry is probably a bit of an exaggeration. For the moment, it is simply an aberration.
After that Memorable victory at Flushing Meadows in 2021Or Medvedev ends Djokovic’s historic quest for a calendar Grand SlamThe Russian was supposed to lead the new guard to fill the void created by the retirement and gradual decline of the Big Three.
Instead, he and the rest of his generation – Alex Zverev and Stef Tsitsipas to name two – failed to seize their chance and Djokovic simply continued to march towards greatness.
This moment of changing of the guard has passed.
Novak Djokovic continues to dominate men’s tennis. (Getty Images: Matthew Stockman)
Another has since come forward this year at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz rose to Djokovic’s level and beat himThe Spanish teenager thus becoming the only player to have won multiple Grand Slams outside the big three, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka since Marat Safin in 2005.
But a victory does not necessarily mean a trend, as Medvedev knows very well.
“Novak, when he loses, he’s never the same again,” Medvedev said before the match.
“He’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day. I still want to beat him. I have to be 10 times better than he was that day.”
Spoiler alert: Medvedev wasn’t. Neither was Djokovic, but he didn’t need to be.
Now, with the all-time Grand Slam title record within reach in a few months at his highest-grossing Grand Slam in Melbourne, a venue where he has won 10 titles, there is no sign of slowing down.
“To make history on this court is truly remarkable and special, in every way and in every sense of the word,” Djokovic said.
“I had a dream when I was seven years old, I wanted to become the best player in the world and win Wimbledon, that was the only thing I wanted.
“But I started dreaming new dreams. I never imagined I would be here talking about 24 Grand Slams. I never thought it would be a reality. But in the last few years, I felt like I had a chance and I had a chance to make history. Why not take it?”
It was the third time in his career that he had reached all four Grand Slam finals in a single season, including two in the last three years.
Djokovic has always been aware of his greatness, or at least his potential for greatness, but now he knows he is on the verge of shining.
Novak Djokovic now has four US Open titles, as well as 20 other Grand Slam trophies to his name. (Getty Images: Corbis/Tim Clayton)
“I really did my best in the last 48 hours to not let the importance of the moment and what was at stake get to my head,” Djokovic said.
“That’s what happened two years ago, I underperformed, I couldn’t be at my best and I was outclassed.
“So I learned my lesson.”
He’s still learning. He’s still dominant. And he’s still world number one, a position he’ll regain when the rankings are released Monday.
“One day I will leave tennis – in 23 or 24 years,” Djokovic said with a smile.
“Until then, I guess you’ll see a little more of me.
“I haven’t set a specific number yet on how many Grand Slams I want to win.
“I will continue to consider them as my most important tournaments and the ones where I want to play the best tennis.”
I guess that means we’ll see Djokovic in Melbourne, where more history and greatness continue to await.
