Djokovic has already won three Grand Slams this year and will be looking to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam at the US Open.
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With the US Open just around the corner, tennis fans will be wondering if World No.1 Novak Djokovic will be able to win it and complete an incredible calendar-year Grand Slam. His Russian counterpart Daniil Medvedev believes the Serbian can do it, calling him the “main contender” for the year’s final Grand Slam. On Friday, Medvedev had reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open with a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta. In his post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked about his chances of winning this year’s US Open, given the absence of many big-name players.
The Russian, however, stated that Djokovic will still be a heavy favourite irrespective of the draw. The season’s final Grand Slam starts on 30 August, but the men’s field will be missing several big names. On Friday, Rafael Nadal announced that he will miss the US Open after calling time on his season due to a foot injury. The Spaniard joined Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, and Juan Martin del Potro on the absentee list.
It means Djokovic will now have a great chance of going ahead of the pack in the all-time Grand Slam winners list. The 34-year-old bagged his sixth Wimbledon men’s singles title recently. As a result, he matched the Grand Slam tally (20) of his great rivals – Federer and Nadal.
The Serbian, who has already clinched his ninth Australian Open crown in February and a second Roland Garros title recently, has a good chance of claiming the calendar-year Grand Slam, with only US Open left. Despite the fact that Djokovic’s ‘Golden Slam’ dream was dashed after losing to Alexander Zverev in the Tokyo Olympics semifinal, he will still bet on himself to win the US Open and complete a calendar-year Grand Slam.
“Definitely, Novak is going to be the highest contender,” Medvedev said. “He’s winning almost all the Grand Slams right now. He won already 20. He has experience. He has a level. I’m not gonna lie. So he’s the man under pressure, but I think he likes it, as some guys under pressure can crack. That’s not about Novak. So he’s definitely the main contender.”
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Russian won the Toronto Masters last week and has been in fine form in Cincinnati this week. “Talking about myself, first of all, if I meet Novak, it’s good because it’s going to be only in the final. That’s the only possibility. I’m going to try to do my best. If I manage to keep the level I’m playing at right now, I have good chances to go far,” he added.
“One day you might feel not as good. You’re going to get an opponent who is going to play his best match of the life. You can have tough quarters, because quarters is where you get somebody from 5 till 8, and they can lose before, or it can be maybe somebody who you prefer of these four guys. It’s all about small, small details. I just want to play good. When I play good in New York I can do good results, and of course, I want to win it. That’s every tournament is the same thing for me.”
