Played 72 Majors, reached the finals of half, won a full third: Journalist in awe of Novak Djokovic's 'silly' record after US Open 2023 triumph

Novak Djokovic was at his scintillating best during the men’s singles final at the 2023 US Open on Sunday (September 10), overcoming Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 to win a career-fourth title in New York. More importantly, the Serb tied Margaret Court’s record tally of 24 Major titles with his triumph.

Djokovic’s elusive achievement received effusive praise from famous tennis journalist Jon Wertheim, who tried to put the Serb’s Grand Slam tournament numbers into perspective on his social media handle.

Wertheim began by mentioning that the 36-year-old had reached 36 finals from 72 Major appearances in his illustrious career. He then expressed bewilderment at the fact that the Serb had won one of every three Major tournaments that he entered with his victory over Medvedev.

“Djokovic has played 72 Majors. He has reached the finals of half. And, assuming he holds here, he will have won a full third. This is just silly #usopen,” Jon Wertheim wrote

Djokovic was at his best right from the get-go, pummeling one groundstroke after another to break down Medvedev’s defense. The Serb won the opening set with relative ease but was pushed to the limit by his younger rival in the second. He even staved off a set point on his own serve down 6-5 before nabbing the tiebreaker – bringing an end to a set that lasted over 100 minutes.

Medvedev, meanwhile, was visibly tired due to the lungbusting exchanges that took place in the match, and was broken twice in the third set. The Serb maintained his composure to complete a straight-sets victory.

Records galore for Novak Djokovic following US Open 2023 title

The Serb celebrates at the 2023 US Open

For academic purposes, Novak Djokovic has reached the final and semifinals of a Major tournament 36 and 47 times respectively. With his latest foray into the last four of the New York Major, the Serb broke Roger Federer’s record for most Grand Slam semifinals.

For what it’s worth, though, the Swiss maestro still holds the record for most overall quarterfinal appearances at Majors (58). The Serb, however, can leave even this record in the dust very soon, provided he makes the last eight of next year's Australian Open and Roland Garros (having recorded 57 quarterfinal appearances in his career).

It is also pertinent to note that the 36-year-old is the only player in the Open era to have recorded at least seven championship match appearances at all four Major tournaments. He also stands alone as the only player to have reached at least 10 semifinals (or higher) at each of the four Majors.