Novak Djokovic may have been unable to make history in New York, but Paris is a different matter. Five months after claiming his second title at Roland Garros to become the first player in the open era to win all four majors twice, Djokovic claimed another slice of tennis history in the City of Light, defeating Hubert Hurkacz to reach the Paris Masters final and ensure he will end the year as world No 1 for a record seventh time.
The Serb is hardly unaccustomed to breaking new ground, but this latest landmark felt special even by his standards. Having taken a seven-week break from the game following his defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final, a result that thwarted his bid to become the first man to complete a calendar-year grand slam in over half a century, it is hard to know what psychological scars a first defeat in three meetings with Hurkacz might have left.
In truth, it would have taken a disastrous showing at the forthcoming ATP Finals in Turin to prevent Djokovic from finishing the season as No 1, but that is not the point. Having drawn level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 slams this summer by claiming his fifth Wimbledon title, every milestone Djokovic achieves now will serve to set him apart from his two great rivals. If he wants to be remembered as the greatest player of all time – and undoubtedly he does – then Djokovic, at 34, will need to make the most of his opportunities. Setbacks are not an option.
So while losing a US Open final may be regarded as a misfortune, losing out on a second piece of history so soon, even temporarily, would have begun to look like carelessness. As it is, the problem for Djokovic’s opponents from here may be that, having learned the lessons of his New York loss, his drive to break new ground will reach fresh heights. It is a sobering thought for his rivals.
“It’s a huge achievement,” said Djokovic of his latest feat after defeating Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). “I’m very, very proud of it. Grateful to be in this position once again to make the historic seventh time and surpass my childhood hero, Pete Sampras. It’s incredible. I’m overwhelmed with all the beautiful, positive emotions.
“I value all the records and achievements greatly,” he added. “Finishing the season as year-end No 1 requires full commitment throughout the entire year, and consistency and playing the best tennis in the biggest events, which accumulate the most points that enable you to be highly ranked. So that’s what I have done this year.
“I played my best at the grand slams and I got most of my points there. I didn’t actually play too many tournaments, if you compare with other guys, I played much less and just kind of focused on the most important ones. That’s going to be the case also in the future. The biggest events are my priority.
“Every achievement is special. I try to make myself aware of the fact that, you know, I am in a very unique position. It’s difficult for me to understand the magnitude of these achievements, not just for myself but for the sport while I’m still an active player. Probably when I retire, I’ll be able to reflect on that a little bit more and appreciate it a little bit more.”
If tennis is about treating triumph and disaster just the same, then Djokovic can lay claim to that distinction too. His overriding emotion in the aftermath of Flushing Meadows was relief that it was all over; here, his feelings were the same. “I was looking forward to coming to Paris, and the biggest reason for coming here was to clinch the year-end No 1. Now that I managed to do it, it’s a huge relief,” said Djokovic. “But the job is not done.”
Indeed it is not. Standing between the Serb and a fifth title of the year is Medvedev, the defending champion, who outsteadied Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-2 in the second semi-final to set up an early repeat of the US Open final. It was a dominant performance from the Russian following his hard-fought win over Hugo Gaston the previous evening, although Medvedev suggested afterwards that the scoreline flattered him.
“The score doesn’t reflect exactly what happened on the court,” said Medvedev. “I was 2-1, 15-40 down. Sometimes in tennis it’s a matter of putting one ball on the line, one winner on the line – it’s enough to get you a break, and maybe gain some confidence. In the beginning of the match it’s really important. So I think the crucial point of the match was this hold and the break after straightaway, because that’s when I gained some confidence.
“I started to read his game a little bit better, to see what I need to do to try to win the point. That’s what I tried to use throughout the match. Today it worked pretty well. But we had a lot of matches with Sascha, and definitely not every match is going to be like this.”
Medvedev will nonetheless be hoping for a similar display against Djokovic, who stressed the need to make a stronger start than he did in New York.
“It’s a great challenge, a great battle ahead of me,” said Djokovic. “I can see today that Daniil has found his best play. He makes less mistakes. But I feel good on court as well, and I hope that the start of the match will be better than in New York. I need to play my best tennis to hoist the trophy. I know what I have to do. But nothing is guaranteed 100%. I’m ready for the battle.”