Izuchukwu Okosi
Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the US Open Men’s final late Sunday (early hours of Monday morning) to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.
Djokovic won 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to claim his fourth title at Flushing Meadows and avenge his defeat to the Russian in the 2021 final which denied him the coveted calendar Grand Slam.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe 36-year-old Serbian star is now two clear of Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 men’s Slam singles titles with Roger Federer two further back on 20.
When asked afterwards what winning 24 grand slam titles meant to him, Djokovic thanked his parents and his family for their sacrifices over the years and said: “This is your trophy as much as this is mine. This is your success as much as this is mine. I love you.
“I never imagined I would be here talking about 24 Slams but the last couple of years I realised I had a shot at history and why not grab it if it’s presented.”
He then unzipped his jacket to reveal a T-shirt bearing a photo of him and late basketball star Kobe Bryant – who famously wore number 24 – with the message “Mamba Forever”.
Djokovic said, “I thought of doing this T-shirt if I won the tournament about seven days ago. I didn’t share it with anyone up to a few days ago when I asked my people to help me out to make these shirts.
“Kobe was a close friend. We chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality. When I was struggling with an injury and trying to make my comeback to the top of the game… He was one of the people that I relied on the most. He was always there for any kind of advice or support in a friendly way. What happened with him and his daughter passing hurt me deeply.
“I thought 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend of Lakers and world basketball, so I felt it could be a nice symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all the things he’s done.”
This was Djokovic’s return to the US Open after missing last year’s tournament due to the federal government requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
