US Open: Novak Djokovic wins men’s title, captures 24th Grand Slam victory

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic refuses to bow to Father Time.

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The 36-year-old tennis star from Serbia won his fourth U.S. Open men’s singles crown on Sunday, defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his record 24th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic broke a tie with Serena Williams for most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era and tied Margaret Court, who won 24 majors during the Amateur and Open eras.

Medvedev, 27, defeated Djokovic to win the U.S. Open in 2021. Djokovic missed the 2022 tournament because of the U.S. policy at the time of barring foreign visitors who were not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to The Athletic.

Djokovic also became the oldest man to win a U.S. Open title since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall achieved the feat in 1970.

Sunday’s match was Djokovic’s 10th final at the U.S. Open, tying him with Bill Tilden for most appearances in the championship match.

Djokovic struck early, racing to a 4-0 lead in the first set before winning 6-3. He faced a more difficult challenge in the second but outlasted Medvedev in a 1-hour, 44-minute set. Djokovic rallied to tie the second set at 6-6 and then won the tiebreaker 7-5 after falling behind 3-1 to take a commanding two-set lead.

Djokovic then broke Medvedev in the fourth game of the third set, but the Russian broke back in the fifth game to narrow the deficit to 3-2. But the seasoned Djokovic broke back for the second time in the set to take a 4-2 lead.

Medvedev broke Djokovic in the eighth game of the final set, but the Serb held serve to win the title.

Medvedev advanced to the final with a 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s semifinals, ESPN reported.

Djokovic won the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year but lost at Wimbledon to Alcaraz. It was the third time that the Serbian tennis star reached the finals of all four majors in a calendar year.

Djokovic had not lost back-to-back Grand Slam finals since 2013-2014, when he fell at Wimbleton to Andy Murray and at the U.S. Open and French Open to Rafael Nadal, ESPN reported.

In 2021, Medvedev prevented Djokovic from winning the first calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver achieved the feat in 1969.

Djokovic has won the U.S. Open three times, with his last title coming in 2018. Medvedev was seeking his second Open crown.

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