2 Responses to uo23djokovic_medvedev.

1. Voo de Mar says:

   September 11, 2023 at 7:13 pm

   Points won by each set: | 33-25, 58-52, 27-20 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   18 % Djokovic – 20 of 109
   19 % Medvedev – 21 of 106

   Indoor final (rain)… Given Djokovic’s phenomenal record in five-setters (38-11) and Medvedev’s poor one (4-9), I assume the Russian believed his chances to win were in 3 or 4 sets, therefore the opening set was crucial and he wanted to get an early break. The first four points were played with the intensity of “3-all in a tie-break” at least: first point 19 strokes, third point 23 strokes. Djokovic closed out the game with two aces, Medvedev was heavily breathing already after the first six points, and it could make an impact on the following game in which he was broken. In the 2nd set the Russian was trying to be more aggressive with his groundstrokes, there were punishing rallies, and he looked physically better than the nine-year older opponent. He had a break point at 4:3 and a set point at 6:5 – Djokovic responded with serve-and-volley actions on both occasions. Medvedev actually should have won the set 7-5 because he had an open court playing his BH passing-shot on set point; instead of hitting it down the line he chose to play through the mid-section of the court, Djokovic was there to play a BH volley into an open court. In the tie-break Medvedev led 3:1, at 4-all he won a very demanding rally which could be perceived for a moment as a pivotal point opening an epic, but another three points went to Djokovic rather quickly, and the set after 1 hour 44 minutes (Medvedev took a toilet break before it) which is the longest tie-break set as far as major finals are concerned! In the 3rd set, the seemingly more tired Djokovic was fresh like a daisy again, he raced to a 3:1 lead, then he played the only lousy game on serve in the second week of the tournament. He was screaming at his box afterwards, but regained his composure at the change of ends, and broke again to lead 4:2. # The final score is the same as Djokovic’s victory five years ago on the same court in a match which concluded the event.

   Djokovic’s route to his 96th title (24th Slam):
   1 Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3
   2 Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
   3 Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
   4 Borna Gojo 6-2, 7-5, 6-4
   Q Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
   S Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4)
   W Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3

   Serve & volley: Djokovic 15/17, Medvedev 1/1

   # Comparison of Djokovic’s US Open finals with the same scoreline:
   2018: Djokovic d. Del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3… 3 hours 15 minutes… Total points: 111-96
   2023: Djokovic d. Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3… 3 hours 17 minutes… Total points: 118-97

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   September 12, 2023 at 5:08 pm

   Five longest tie-break sets in Grand Slam finals:

   104 min: Djokovic – Medvedev… UO ’23 (pts: 58-52)
   103 min: Wilander – Vilas… RG ’82 (pts: 46-47)
   100 min: Lendl – Wilander… UO ’87 (pts: 55-51)
   96 min: Kuerten – Norman… RG ’00 (pts: 67-61)
   95 min: Djokovic – DelPotro… UO ’18 (pts: 52-47)

   When two-game advantage was required in the final set:

   122 min: Djokovic vs Federer, 13-12, WB ’19 (pts: 85-84)
   94 min: Federer vs Roddick, 16-14, WB ’09 (pts: 81-74)

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