Novak Djokovic beats Daniil Medvedev for U.S. Open title, becoming first to win 24 Grand Slams in Open era

Novak Djokovic both respects time and defies it.

Despite being at the height of his game, he acknowledged this past week that at 36, any Grand Slam could be his last. The body can break down unexpectedly — even if you’re the best, and even if you can outpace and outmaneuver men so many years your junior.

So when he started hobbling in the second set of the U.S. Open men’s final Sunday, it was fair to wonder if the wear and tear of this tournament finally had become too much.

Djokovic stretched. Djokovic stumbled. And at one point, Djokovic even laid down on the court, his chest rising and falling rapidly with labored breath.

And then Djokovic reminded time exactly whom it was dealing with.

In an environment in which he’s long played spoiler and troll, Djokovic not only captured the crowd but captured the crown, gritting his way to a brutal 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over No. 3 Daniil Medvedev for the Serbian’s record-tying 24th Grand Slam.

He matched Margaret Court for most overall Slam titles, and he did it on the court that’s given him the most trouble of the four. It’s his fourth win at Flushing Meadows in 10 tries — and a rematch of the 2021 Open, when Medvedev prevailed, denying Djokovic the elusive calendar Grand Slam.

“To make history in this sport is just something truly remarkable and special,” Djokovic said. “When I was 7, 8, I wanted to be the best player in the world and win the Wimbledon trophy. That’s the only thing that I wanted . . .

“I never imagined I would be standing here talking with you about 24 Slams, [but] the last couple of years, I felt like I had a chance. I had a shot at history, and why not grab it if it’s presented?”

The win cements him as the best player of all time, and though no one can know how much longer he can play at this level, it seems likely that this Slam won’t be his last.

“I want to ask Novak what you’re still doing here,” Medvedev joked. “C’mon.”

Medvedev, 27, had good reason to be amazed by Djokovic’s staying power after Sunday’s marathon.

The second set went for an hour and 44 minutes, with multiple 10-plus-minute games. The average rally length was 6.26, with 54 rallies of at least nine shots.

This is Djokovic’s third major title this year and his 14th hardcourt major title. When he gets named No. 1 on Monday, it will be his 390th week at the top of the pack.

Along the way, the man who literally was booed off the court in 2008 and jeered again in 2015 (and once more in 2019), turned the tide of public opinion, and on Sunday, it seemed to matter.

When he looked frail, the crowd at Ashe chanted his name. And when he came blazing back in the third set, he encouraged them to keep going. After finally playing to cheers in 2021 — something that, at the time, caused Djokovic to weep — he basked in the new approval.

Gone was the heel. All hail the hero.

Djokovic took control early, winning four of the first five games of the first set, but it hardly was easy, as Medvedev set the tone by coaxing the elder statesman into long, punishing rallies. He eventually took the first set when Medvedev’s backhand soared past the baseline for game point.

That, though, was only the prelude to a lengthy second set in which Djokovic notably looked shaky early — either winded or in pain as he repeatedly tested his legs in the first few games. Tied at 3, the two dueled for 10 minutes before a 31-shot rally allowed Medvedev to hold his serve and sent Djokovic down to the ground, gasping.

“He was tired,” Medvedev said. “He was missing some shots at the end of some long rallies. At the same time, as you say, that’s Novak. No matter what, he can be there . . . That’s why it was a pity that I didn’t win the second set because I felt like I was all over him, like I was dominating in a way.”

And if there’s one thing Medvedev knows, it’s that all Djokovic needed was a sliver of a shot.

After going down 6-5, Djokovic, still shaking out his legs, held his serve on the back of a lengthy baseline rally to get to game point and then smashed a 121-mph serve that Medvedev couldn’t handle, sending it to a tiebreak. The two more or less exchanged points until Medvedev netted a backhand to give Djokovic the victory.

That was all Djokovic needed en route to another Slam title.

Medvedev broke Djokovic in the fifth game of the third set after Djokovic made three unforced errors, but that’s as close as the Russian would get. Djokovic broke Medvedev after climbing back from love-30, signaling the beginning of the end. The Serbian held at love to eventually go up 5-2, and though Medvedev salvaged the next game, Djokovic closed it out after Medvedev netted a forehand at 40-30.

Djokovic won 37 of 44 net points and 20 of 22 serve-and-volley points.

“I’m really living my childhood dream,” he said afterward. “[I get] to compete at the highest level in sport that has given me and my family so much.”

It’s an understatement, because on Sunday, Djokovic got to compete at a level nearly no one has ever reached before.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.