3 Things Novak Djokovic missed despite a phenomenal 2021 season
There is no doubt that 2021 was Novak Djokovic's year. He won three Grand Slam titles, equalled Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's tally of 20 Grand Slams each, won a Masters title, and ended the year as the World No.1 for a record seventh time, overtaking Pete Sampras.
Despite his brilliant campaign in 2021, Novak Djokovic missed out on some milestones. While the Serbian legend attained many laurels, he will have to carry some regrets from the 2021 season.
Here are three big things that Novak Djokovic missed out on this year:
#3 Success eluded Djokovic's Serbia at the Davis Cup
After delivering some incredible performances at the Davis Cup, Novak Djokovic's Serbia still fell short of winning the tournament. Even though the 20-time Grand Slam champion played well individually and extended his match-winning streak to 19 at the Davis Cup, Serbia lost to Croatia in the semifinals.
Hrvatska Happiness 🥳
The No.1 doubles team delivers, taking down Serbia 7-5 6-1 to book a spot in the final!
#DavisCupFinals #byRakuten https://t.co/mYtPpNQOQ0
After getting eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup in 2019, Djokovic and the Serbian fans had pretty huge expectations from the squad this year. Team Serbia last won the Davis Cup in 2010, which remains their only trophy at the tournament to date.
#2 No Golden Slam for Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was the favorite to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics. With big names such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer not taking part in the tournament, Djokovic had a huge opportunity to add the medal to his tally. However, he had to return empty-handed.
After losing to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, the Serbian was up against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta. His semifinal loss meant that Djokovic was to miss out on the opportunity to achieve the Golden Slam.
In the bronze medal match, the Spaniard kept calm and delivered an exceptional performance against the World No.1, defeating him in three sets. As a result, Djokovic failed to get his hands on the bronze in Tokyo.
#1 Djokovic denied Calendar Slam by Medvedev
Djokovic had been chasing the elusive Calendar Slam this season. He could have achieved this at the US Open, but Danill Medvedev stood in his way, defeating the Serbian in straight sets in the final. The loss against Medvedev remains Djokovic's only defeat at the Majors this year.
Daniil Medvedev upsets Djokovic 🚨
Novak Djokovic is denied his 21st Grand Slam title after losing the US Open final in straight sets https://t.co/c88JIrNDHx
Thus, even after an astounding year, Novak Djokovic couldn't accomplish these three big feats. But with everything else he has achieved, the 2021 season will go down in the history of the sport as one of the best seasons any player has ever had.
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