Novak Djokovic's 2021 will go down in history, despite the Serbian champion failing to put the cherry on top. The world number one reached the final of the US Open a few months ago after winning the first three Grand Slams of the season.
The 34-year-old Belgrade native could do nothing against a faultless Daniil Medvedev, who was blocked by tension and physically drained. Nole has closed the gap between him and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam standings, but a legendary milestone has vanished in the process (perhaps forever).
Djokovic would become the second man in the Open Era, after Rod Laver, to win all four majors in the same year if he wins in New York. Novak, on the other hand, has ensured that he will finish the season at the top of the ATP rankings for the seventh time in his career.
Isner said, "Novak Djokovic has greatly improved his serve over the years. Although he is number 1 in the world, he never stopped working. The signing of Goran Ivanisevic was fundamental in this sense. The Croatian helped make Nole's serve even more effective. We saw this most of all at the 2021 Australian Open. If you can keep the serve fairly smoothly and the rest of your game is the best in the world, you will clearly win a lot. He is probably serving better now than in the rest of his career. He has more confidence in this shot and takes risks even when he has to serve the second. For someone who plays a lot of grueling exchanges like Djokovic, getting a few points for free is a breath of fresh air."
The Serbian champion made his ATP Finals debut against Casper Ruud on Monday afternoon in Turin, winning his opening match in the year-end Master in straight sets.