Trying to chase history is hard. The pressure is immense, and everyone's eyes are on that player trying to break a record. So when Novak Djokovic lost in the US Open Final against Daniil Medvedev, the Serbian superstar felt a sense of relief.
During a press conference interview, Djokovic had this to say. (via Tumaini Carayol of The Guardian)
“Relief, I was glad it was over. The build up for the tournament, everything I had to deal with mentally and emotionally throughout last weeks was a lot. At the same time I felt sadness, disappointment and gratitude to the crowd.”
During the entirety of the US Open, Djokovic's chance at history was the talk of the town. A win in the tournament would have given the Serbian twenty-one Majors wins, overtaking Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most wins. Djokovic would've also bagged the elusive calendar Grand Slam, where a player wins all four Majors in a single year (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Djokovic has a Grand Slam of his own, but he did it over the span of 2015 and 2016, not within a single year. That pressure of trying to win one of the most prestigious awards in all of tennis is crushing.
It's not surprising, then, that Novak Djokovic felt a surge of relief after the match. Despite losing in three straight sets to Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic is just happy that the grueling grind is over. Now, he can turn his focus to the next Majors, where he'll once again try to wrest the crown from Nadal and Federer.
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