[fhdowntheline]

Medvedev demolished the hype around Djokovic's grand slam attempt in fine style with a straight sets win last night. In the process, overcame some of his own demons about having to potentially cope with 3 Grand Slam final losses and being consigned to the row of bridesmaids (or best man if you will) .
I am happy that men's tennis is finally on a bit of sound firmament with respect to the present and future. Djokovic himself said so in his post match press conference. Of course, it doesn't take away anything from what Djokovic has achieved over the years, especially the last 6 years or so, and hopefully will still take that one additional title. For now, the glory of Calendar grand slam rests with the elite group comprising of Rod Laver ,Don Budge , Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court & Steffi Graf. By the looks of things, it will stay that way for some time.

[Emvi]

What an anti-climax as far as Djokovic is concerned. "So near yet so far" is what the Serb must be thinking. I think even for a legend that Djokovic is, it might take him a while to come in terms with this shattering defeat. A long year of unbelievable achievements and a couple of least expected defeats for the Serbian great. This reminds me of Roger Federer's 2009 season. He had reached finals of all the 4 majors, winning two- the French and the Wimbledon while losing the other two!

[androdev]

Few more days of relief to Federer fans like me :-) To be honest, I like Djokovic as a person the most but when it comes to Tennis I enjoy(ed) Federer the most. Apart from that I would also like other players to win some grand slams - it can get very demotivating for guys like Medvedev if they can't break the monopoly.

[Chetan_Rao]

Credit to Medvedev. Appeared to have lost his nerve serving out the match, but recomposed himself.

As for Djokovic, well he's human after all. The occasion appears to have got to him.

20 titles is still nothing to sniff at, and he's still already one of the best the game has ever seen, even if he never wins another.

All I hope for is a few more battles at the top between him, Federer and Nadal before this golden era draws down. Be a shame if they all retired silently because fitness got the better of them (as looks increasingly likely with Federer, and Nadal to an extent).

[kavensri]

Going into the final, he was such an overwhelming favourite to win the match and complete the ‘Grand Slam’. But, even a player like Djokovic with all the super human fighting spirits that he possesses, looks like pressure got to him and he was just not there in the final. I am not taking anything away from Medvedev, but it was shocking result (loss in straight sets). This just goes to show, how much difficult it is for anyone to complete the ‘Grand Slam’. Serena came close once & lost in semis and now Djokovic in the final.
Being an hard code Federer fans, I am happy that Djokovic failed to win Grand Slam But I do know that Djokovic will goes part 21 slams sometime next year and I feel that he may end up winning minimum of 25 slams by the end of his career. And he may also own (if not already owned) most of the major records in the Men’s Singles by the time he hangs up his boot.

[smartindboy]

Such a great and refreshing result. Tired of the three winning most in the last decade and was becoming boring.
Hope, the era of the trio's dominance comes to an end and we get to see more talent winning trophies.

P.S: Same reason, it was heartening to see McLaren taking P1 and P2.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

As for Djokovic, well he's human after all. The occasion appears to have got to him.

Nerves! In his pre-match conference, he said that he will approach this match as "the last match of his career". Not to take one bit away from Medvedev of course.

[jkrishnakj]

Novak probably was half best of what he normally is. Nerves got to him big time.

Several easy points where he could have easily won, he lost those by either hitting them wide or netting them. I counted atleast 5 such ones.

And for a change, Medvedev did win the big points. He had his share of nerves doing double faults when serving out for the match, but quickly managed to compose himself.

I watched the highlights and it somehow didn’t feel like a grand slam final. I enjoyed the ladies finals though. That was an intensely competitive match.

[Eddy]

I was up last night following the match, wanting to see history being made. Slept when Djoker was broken in the second set.

He was dejected on missing out the Olympic gold earlier, this one will hurt more. But nice to see some fresh winners.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by smartindboy

Hope, the era of the trio's dominance comes to an end and we get to see more talent winning trophies.

.

Careful what you wish for. Look at the women tennis. There are no dominant players any more. Every slam looks like there is a new winner. What that means is there are no big rivalries. Nobody pushing each other to greatness. How many great women players can we name from recent times?

The big reason why Fed, Djoker and Nadal became the players they are is their rivalries. Each one pushed each other. I suspect we are entering an era of mediocricy now. I think Zverev is good and Tsitsipas also, though Medvedev gives me airs of an Andy Murray. Let's see how tennis pans out post the Big 3.

[Emvi]

22 year old Casper Ruud creates history by becoming the first Norwegian to enter the season ending ATP Finals. He has had a great 2021 winning 5 ATP titles. He is surely a player to watch out for.

Link

[Ananthang]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Careful what you wish for. Look at the women tennis. There are no dominant players any more. Every slam looks like there is a new winner. What that means is there are no big rivalries. Nobody pushing each other to greatness. How many great women players can we name from recent times?

The big reason why Fed, Djoker and Nadal became the players they are is their rivalries. Each one pushed each other. I suspect we are entering an era of mediocricy now. I think Zverev is good and Tsitsipas also, though Medvedev gives me airs of an Andy Murray. Let's see how tennis pans out post the Big 3.

Please add Shapapalov also to your list.

Daniel Thiem seem to be forgotten because of injury.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by kavensri

...rest all retired by early 30s (and Bjorg at 26, I don’t know how much he would have achieved if he had not retired at that early age) whereas Djoko and Nadal are still going strong even in their mid-30s. So, fitness might have also played a part here.

One additional factor might have been the evolution of tennis equipment. Some of the dominant players found it difficult to adapt to the new playing styles (faster and more aggressive) made possible by the new equipment. And they found themselves losing matches more often.

[Chetan_Rao]

Australian Open confirms vaccination mandate for the tournament.

Source

[sayyam.gaur58]

I'm surprised that this thread is so quiet especially when Djokovic is fighting against his visa cancellation twice! On a personal and moral view, he should have been deported the first time itself. You just can't use your stature to overturn a rule of a foreign country, the worst part is that he lied on the visa form, violated COVID norms then defended himself citing error of judgement
Any views on this? By the way, the judgment will be out in a couple of hours.