Medvedev Stuns Alcaraz to Meet Djokovic in U.S. Open Finals
In their semifinal match, Daniil Medvedev defeated reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Novak Djokovic easily defeated Ben Shelton.
Daniil Medvedev may have acted in the most Medvedev-like manner possible and ruined everything just as the U.S. Open was about to experience its ideal weekend. The 27-year-old Medvedev, the game's happy troll, playful wiseguy, and unorthodox baseliner, took a wrench to the popular plans to watch the next chapter of Carlos Alcaraz's mounting generational rivalry with Novak Djokovic with a stunning victory over the reigning champion and 20-year-old wunderkind of the sport.
Sunday's match will feature a rematch of the epic Medvedev-Djokovic match from the 2021 U.S. Open instead of the epic Alcaraz-Djokovic final from the tune-up tournament three weeks ago, which was a rematch of the Wimbledon final in July and a rematch of their semifinal showdown at the French Open in June.
On that day, Medvedev, the Russian with the wacky strokes, silly one-liners, and dead fish triumph celebration, destroyed the seemingly untouchable Serbian champion, ending Djokovic's hopes of being the first person in 50 years to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year.
Every time Novak plays, he gets better, according to Medvedev. "On Sunday, Novak will be his best self, and I have to try to be my best self to defeat him."
On Friday, it was the sport's current showstopper, the seemingly unstoppable Alcaraz, who was hit head-on by a party crash. Medvedev matched Alcaraz shot for shot and nearly drove him to losing his calm in the second set with his relentless pursuit of every ball and one of the game's most devastating serves throughout the entire encounter. Alcaraz almost tossed his racket to the floor but refrained just in time. Following that, Medvedev survived Alcaraz's third set comeback effort to defeat the tournament's top seed and current world No. 1 in four sets, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
After the tense battle, Alcaraz declared, "I'm going to change my mind." I'm not old enough to handle these matches, she said.
Alcaraz had his moments, particularly early in the third set when he started to dance over the court and take charge of points by leaping into the net to smash his punishing volleys. As Alcaraz halved the lead, he discovered that extra zip in his ground strokes and caused Medvedev to droop his head for the first time all night.
Alcaraz had his moments, particularly early in the third set when he started to dance over the court and take charge of points by leaping into the net to smash his punishing volleys. As Alcaraz halved the lead, he discovered that extra zip in his ground strokes and caused Medvedev to droop his head for the first time all night.
But after a trip to the bathroom and a change of clothes, Medvedev reverted to his original state and transformed into the human backboard once more, able to find the smallest opening to smuggle a ball past even his most talented and acrobatic opponent.
He accomplished that in the lengthy sixth game of the fourth set, which lasted almost 15 minutes. On his second attempt to break Alcaraz's serve, he threw a backhand return onto the Spaniard's shoelaces as he charged toward the net. He made the same hand motion he had been doing all night as he gazed up at the audience: "How about some love for me?"
He had secured the second victory of the men's semifinals in which toughness triumphed over elegance two games later. Once more, the fingers were raised in the air. He had been soundly defeated by Alcaraz twice this year. Not today, and it was time to start concentrating on the next match with Djokovic, a test unlike any other in sports.
According to Medvedev, "it's a mental exercise where you want to go to war."
In recent years, notably, Djokovic has rarely been in better shape than during a Grand Slam final. He's already won two games this year and is poised to play four more.
The biggest ambitions I have are Grand Slams, he stated on Friday night. "I planned my schedule so that I could give these competitions my all, and it worked out again this year."
Djokovic needed to defeat 20-year-old Florida lightning-bolt Ben Shelton in order to win the championship match. Similar to Alcaraz, Shelton put on one of the U.S. Open's most entertaining performances each time he took the court.
Again, against Djokovic, he was a racket-waving highlight reel, playing the kind of tennis that could move any American fan to honor "Big" Bill Tilden or whatever supernatural power compelled Shelton to choose tennis over football as a youngster.
The young player's terrifying forehand across the court and second serve of 143 mph both stood out. His agility while floating back allowed him to transform firm lobs into fearless, rocking overhands. That spirit, too, the way he cried out an excited "yeah!" like a child on the playground every time he snatched a major point, along with those arms flowing out of his sleeveless top. Additionally, the drop volleys that touch down and spin back toward the goal.
Unfortunately for Shelton, there are no style points in the tennis scoring system, and Djokovic was not just the greatest player of the modern age and a 23-time Grand Slam winner, but also the pinnacle of tennis tai chi. The 36-year-old Djokovic has been using the strength and style of his most flashy and forceful competitors against them for years, but never more so than during his most recent run of success.
Djokovic, who was competing in a record-breaking 47th Grand Slam semifinal, deconstructed Shelton tactically, crushing the hopes, positive energy, and flare that so many younger players had previously brought to the table. In less than two and a half hours, Djokovic destroyed the young man with the sculpted arms, 6-3, 6-2, and 7-6 (4), without exerting a single extra ounce of effort.
He picked off the rockets on Shelton's serve like he was catching butterflies in a field on a late summer afternoon, and for the majority of the afternoon, he chased down Shelton's drop shots from the back of the court like a cheetah hunting its lunch. Even Shelton's much-discussed post-match celebration, in which he mimed holding a phone to his ear and slammed it to the ground before offering the young man an icy handshake, was stolen by Djokovic when it finished with a forehand from Shelton that sailed into the net.
Later, after Djokovic had left the court, he was caught on camera imitating Shelton. He claimed that he doesn't really like when people tell him how to celebrate.
The comment was made by Shelton, who gave Djokovic a glare as he neared the net. "I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want," Shelton remarked. "I always learned as a child growing up that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so that's all I have to say about that," the speaker said.
I simply adore Ben's celebration, Djokovic remarked once Shelton had finished talking about it. Because I felt it was so creative, I imitated him.
You see, Djokovic enjoys spectacular tennis highlights just as much as everybody else. He swung about as hard as he could as he took the court for the third set with a seemingly insurmountable — against him — two-set lead and saw Shelton feather a drop volley. The moment received the racket clap it deserved from Djokovic. Nice work, young man. Later, he sped onto the court and fired a passing shot to once again shatter Shelton's spirit and serve.
Djokovic performed all of these actions in front of an enthusiastic audience of roughly 24,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The roof was closed due to the nearby thunderstorms, and every time Shelton put on one of his exhibitions of strength, dexterity, speed, and athleticism and won the point, the blast of the roars felt like something you could reach out and touch.
That was never more evident than when Shelton was attempting to tie the match at 2-4 in the third set. When it came time to break Djokovic's serve, he did not let anyone down. He forced Djokovic to hit a wide forehand that rattled people's skulls. Two games later, Djokovic held a break point and all the momentum despite experiencing his sole error-filled and subpar serving slump of the day (it happens).
Djokovic once more suffocated the occasion with his signature performance, a 124 mph serve out to the side that Shelton was unable to handle. It was now back to normal.
The crowded stadium could yet see a little more Shelton and Djokovic. Shelton held on for a little while after saving match point and forcing a tiebreaker in the third set before losing 5-1. But Djokovic needed to get things done and was entitled to his spot in his 36th Grand Slam final. As soon as he sealed the deal, it was his time to enjoy the commotion and hang up the phone, just as he had anticipated.
"I know how much work, dedication, and energy I put into trying to be in this position, so I know that I deserve this," he stated. "I always have faith in my own abilities, in my knowledge, in my skills, in my quality as a tennis player to be able to deliver when it matters," the tennis star said.
ben shelton age,ben shelton parents,ben shelton height,priscilla presley,taylor fritz girlfriend,how old is ben shelton,b shelton tennis,ben shelton celebration,novak djokovic press conference today,ben shelton girlfriend,rajeev ram,ben shelton press conference,ben shelton phone gesture,fastest tennis serve ever,tracy austin,ben shelton vs novak djokovic,tbd,jon bon jovi,djokovic vs shelton,ben shelton vs djokovic,ben.shelton,b shelton,slovakia vs portugal,charlize theron,novak shelton
