US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

I was being facetious when I tweeted that the US Open title was Novak Djokovic’s. Everyone expected Djokovic to win including Djokovic, and why not?

Why Novak Djokovic Did Not Win

There are several variables that many forget when a player steps on the court to compete. When the stakes are high, the player will often feel more pressure and fail to perform at their best. There was no pressure on Daniil Medvedev and all the pressure of the world plus Djokovic’s own self-imposed pressure was weighing the number one player down before he stepped on the court. Then there was the fatigue from his match against Alexander Zverev. Finally, he is not twenty-two anymore and everything combined to make it extremely difficult for Djokovic to perform at his best.

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Daniil Medvedev Is A Dangerous Opponent

Medvedev is one of those sneakily dangerous player, sneaky because he often comes across as if it does not really matter whether he wins or lose. Dangerous, because the guy actually has the weapons to beat the top players.

I watched him play against Rafael Nadal at the US Open and that’s when I realized he had serious game. Can he play consistently at this level? I do not think so because many of these younger players do not have the mindset of the players from previous eras. They do not seem to appreciate the importance of being a dominant player. Rather they show up for some tournaments and decide to stay home for others.

While his victory came as a surprise, it was not because I did not think he had it in him, it was because I believed Djokovic wanted this so badly, nothing and no one could stop him. Yet, therein lies the rub, perhaps the wanting was what prevented him from winning. Medvedev got his revenge for the Australian Open loss with the 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat of the Serb.

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What Does This Mean For Men’s Tennis?

Djokovic is going nowhere soon; however, Roger Federer and Nadal may be saying goodbye sooner than anticipated. Left foot surgery has the king of clay out of commission and a third knee surgery has the king of grass on the sidelines. Dominic Thiem has been missing in action as well due to injury. In any event, there is still the ATP Finals to go, which young star will seize that opportunity to showcase his talent?

ALL IMAGES: Getty Images