Novak undisputed king of tennis

NEW YORK– Novak Djokovic, who won his fourth US Open and all-time record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title on Sunday, is driven on through controversy by his determination to be the greatest ever.

The Serb’s 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows – his third major triumph of 2023 – took him two Slams clear of great rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the list of men’s Slam champions.

For 36-year-old Djokovic, it matters to be the best, and he has a strong sense of his historical place in tennis.

He also keeps ploughing on through the highs and lows because it is “a great school of life.”

“I would like to send a message to every young person out there. I was a seven-year-old dreaming that I could win Wimbledon and be world No.1 one day,” he has said.

“I am beyond grateful but I feel I had the power to create my own destiny. I believe it and feel it with every cell in my body. Be in the present moment, forget about the past. If you want a better future, you create it.”

Yet while Nadal and now-retired Roger Federer are widely admired, Djokovic continues to divide opinion.

His staggering achievements on the court have often been overshadowed by blunders and missteps off it.

At the French Open this year, he wrote “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” on a courtside TV camera lens as ethnic tensions were again rising in the Balkans.

On court at Roland Garros, he was booed for fist-pumping as semifinal rival Carlos Alcaraz wilted with cramping.

However, the career achievements and resolve of a player who was the first to smash through the $150 million prize-money barrier cannot be doubted.

“He’s a genius,” Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic said Sunday. “He’s one of kind. Not too many people in this world like him, sport-wise.”

“He’s a born winner. For him, when you tell him he cannot do something, it’s even worse. Then he’s going to show you that he can do it.

“It’s no excuses. He always try to find a way how to win, how to fight, even when he’s not feeling well, injured, not injured.”

Djokovic remains indifferent to the critics.

“I don’t mind. It’s not the first; probably not the last. I’ll just keep winning,” said Djokovic.