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The 2021 US Open men's singles final is fast approaching and the top two seeds will battle for the title. While world number one Novak Djokovic is just one win away from claiming his Calendar Slam in New York, Daniil Medvedev will fight hard for his first Grand Slam title.
The 2021 Australian Open final saw the same showdown and Novak Djokovic thrashed Daniil Medvedev to win the title. Also, their head-to-head battle currently stands at 5-3 in favor of the Serbs. Although the 20 Grand Slam winner will start as the favorite, the Russian has the potential to beat him, especially on the hard court.
Nikola Pilic talks about Novak Djokovic
Former Roland Garros runner-up Nikola Pilic believes Novak Djokovic is underappreciated by Westerners as he hails from Serbia, a country that's not held in the same regard as the more developed nations in the world.
"Whether someone likes him or not, he has a lot of character and personality," Pilic added. "He has done Serbia proud, he's done heaps to improve the country's international reputation and for me he is more than just a great tennis player." The Croat revealed that the Serb's natural talent was evident from a very young age, which is why he and Djokovic's father, Srdjan, always maintained their faith in the World No.
1. "You can't tell someone's limits when they are just teenagers but doing things the hard way has definitely made Djokovic tougher," Pilic told Reuters. "It's a thin line and there were no guarantees that he would even go on to become a top 10 player, but his natural talent was obvious.
More importantly, it was matched by his commitment, work rate and mental strength. It was obvious from the start at my academy that he was something special and that is why his father and I always believed in him," Pilic added.
Reflecting back on the match tonight, Djokovic is on a mission who wants to win the fourth Major of the season. In doing so, he would’ve done an impassive task of winning all four Majors in a season. On the other hand, Medvedev is in his third Grand Slam final.
He fell short to Nadal in 2018, although they were involved in an epic thriller. Earlier this season, Djokovic beat Daniil in straight sets. However, the Russian knows what to expect when he faces the Serb tonight. He has been in supreme form lately and both players will definitely try and make matters difficult for one and another. We wish them the best of luck.
