In his 28th and final match at the majors, Novak Djokovic lost his effort to capture the first Grand Slam since 1988. However, it was his 27th birthday that most likely sealed his destiny.
Djokovic spent the US Open dropping an early set and then won the remaining three. He did it against Holger Rüne in the first round, Kei Nishikori in the third round, Jenson Brooksby in the fourth round, and Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals. Each of those matches became more tiring as time went on, but his semifinal versus Zverev was the most draining of them all. He dropped two sets this time, played for three hours and 34 minutes, and ended well after his final-round opponent, Daniil Medvedev, had retired to his hotel room to recover. Djokovic had defied his age all season, coming back from tough clashes against younger opponents. However, he was unable to recover from this setback.
“Biggest battle I had so far in the tournament,” Djokovic said. “It was expected. I mean, Zverev was in tremendous form. He hasn’t dropped too many sets in this tournament. He was on a roll, winning Olympic, winning Cincinnati.” Zverev was on a roll at the time. His serve had matured into the most devastating and scary weapon in the men's game, and he had won his last 16 matches. Even yet, he understood his quality of play, which had earned him those 16 victories, wouldn't be enough to beat the world No. 1. To beat Djokovic, he claimed, he'd have to be flawless. Those statements proved prophetic because Zverev provided almost everything in this match, but he wasn't nearly perfect.
Djokovic's approach toward his opponents throughout the Open has been, "Whatever level you reach, I'll surpass it." He did it again against Zverev, in the second and third sets, and then with the match in the fifth. He did it in this case by demonstrating all of the things he could do on the court that Zverev couldn't. Zverev had more aces and winners, but it was Djokovic who made the most of his drop shot, lob, slice and serve when it was essential; who won 16 more games at the net than Zverev; and who chased down every ball for five sets.
The level of the rallies in the third set—the mix of intensity and length—set this match apart from most others in 2021 in terms of quality. At 4-5, they reached their apex, with Zverev serving. The two men ran and slugged through 53 strokes until Zverev finished it with a forehand winner at 15-40, the double set point for Djokovic. Both men appeared exhausted and took a few extra seconds afterward, but the elder man recovered faster. Djokovic ended the set with a smash after another fantastic rally.
“Like most of the other matches that I won during this tournament when I lost the first set, I started to play really, really good tennis in the second and third,” Djokovic said. “A couple of very long points, exchanges at the end of the third set. Obviously, clinching the third set was a huge relief and advantage.”