‘Relief’: Djokovic’s bid for year Slam ends against Medvedev

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969 ended with a loss to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final. Medvedev’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory Sunday gave him his first major championship and prevented Djokovic from collecting what would have been the record 21st of his career. Djokovic entered this match 27-0 in 2021 at the sport’s four most important tournaments. That included a win against Medvedev in the Australian Open final in February, and titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July. The last man to sweep the Slams was Rod Laver in 1969. The last woman was Steffi Graf in 1988.