Aiming for 21
When you look at tonight’s matchup, you come across a lot of the number 21.
Medvedev is going for his 21st straight tour win — and his first grand slam title.
Djokovic is seeking his 21st straight victory at the Australian Open — the last time he lost at Melbourne Park was in the fourth round in 2018 to South Korean Hyeon Chung.
The biggest 21 of all, of course, is Djokovic’s ultimate goal — to get to 21 grand slam titles and surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s men’s record.
Djokovic thought he would take a step towards that goal at last year’s US Open, but his shock disqualification for hitting a linesperson with a tennis ball put paid to that.
Tonight he wants a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, to take him to 18 grand slam crowns.
If Medvedev gets up, however, that will leave the Djoker trailing Federer and Nadal by three, with a more than decent chance that his Spanish rival could go four clear by winning yet another title at Roland Garros.
He is younger and in better shape than the other two of the Big Three, but if Medvedev can win tonight, the target will seem further away than ever.
