Daniil Medvedev created history on Sunday, winning his first grand slam after defeating world no. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open men’s final on Sunday. 

The Russian’s incredible effort not only claimed his first title but also stopped Djokovic from reaching the elusive goal — a calendar slam. 

As Medvedev dropped to the group after bagging the championship points, congratulations poured in social media. Firstly, for his first major title and most importantly for absolutely crashing Djokovic in straight sets.

Tennis player Juan de Potro posted on Twitter: “Congratulations @daniilmedwed, well deserved! No words can describe how it feels to win your first @usopen, but I bet you’re the happiest man alive right now!”

Fellow tennis player and winner of last year’s US Open, Dominic Thiem too congratulated Medvedev. “What a performance! Congrats on your first Grand Slam title,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, former world no. 1 tennis player, Andy Roddick said, “Flawless match strategy by Medvedev. He deserved the win today. We still need to acknowledge how phenomenal Novak was this year (and for 15 years) Was fun to watch. Congrats to both!”

Indeed, barring the nervy moments in the end, Medvedev had a flawless game where he capitalised on Djokovic’s errors.

Djokovic was at the brink of making history if he had won the title. He would become the first man to win all four majors in one year since Rod Laver in 1969. 

After the game, Laver tweeted: “Simply stunning Daniil Medvedev, you stopped one of the greatest tonight. To win your first Grand Slam title is always special, to do it against a champion like Novak Djokovic is something else. Take heart Novak, the quest continues. Best wishes.”

Encapsulating the beauty of sport, a user tweeted: “What a final!!! Even after 2 sets I thought Djo will come back because that’s just what he does. That’s why sport is such a leveller. Even after 20 grand slams you need to come out & play well on that day! Just too good from #Medvedev hats off.” 

“Daniil Medvedev lost the first major of 2021 to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He has now won the final major of the year in straight sets. Mentality,” another user noted. Well, you don’t best Novak on the court if you aren’t a mentality monster yourself.