Daniil Medvedev almost won the second set in the 2023 US Open final against Novak Djokovic, and not winning it proved very costly for the Russian, who bowed out in three sets.
The Russian was playing a good match; realistically, it was a far cry from his performance against Carlos Alcaraz but good enough to be competitive. The second set was his big chance as Djokovic struggled a bit with his serve, allowing Medvedev to keep a few games close and even get some break points.
He didn't use them, but the set point was a particularly aggravating rally, as he should have won it. He had an easy shot to make, but he opted for the wrong one, and Djokovic caught the ball on the net, cracking a smile after knowing that he got very lucky with that one.
Medvedev referenced the rally after the match knowing that he should have taken that point and won the second set. It could have changed the outcome of the match.
Oh, regrets, for sure. Should have won it. Should have won it, but sometimes tennis not that easy. Passing for sure down the line, not cross, but I have two choices and I chose the wrong one.
In general, yeah, second set was the best set I played and I didn't win it. So that's why I kind of, I would say, it's normal that the match went that way, because first and third he was kind of better and not much to say. Second if I would win it maybe could have been a different game.
There is not much Medvedev could say after the match because he was quite accepting of the defeat. He lost to a better player, and there is no shame in that; it was still his best outing in a while so that's a positive to take away from it.
I don't know if I would analyze it. Again, when we play next time it's going to be different story. I'm not even sure there is anything much to analyze. Yeah, that's how life is and tennis is. So I'm going to try to be better next time.
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