Novak Djokovic completed a stunning two-month run on Sunday evening at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to lift his third US Open title and earn his 14th Grand Slam trophy, tying American legend Pete Sampras for third all time.

It’s not that long ago that he had lost three matches in a row, doing so for the first time since 2007. That didn’t stop the former World No. 1, though, as Djokovic returned to form by winning Wimbledon, completing the Career Golden Masters by coming out victorious in Cincinnati, and finally, shining bright in ‘The Big Apple’.

But Djokovic did not simply receive his trophy, walk off the court and turn in for the evening after his win in Arthur Ashe Stadium. ATPWorldTour.com takes you behind the scenes from the night of his victory through his media tour on Monday:

SUNDAY EVENING:
7:38 pm – Djokovic strikes an overhead winner to clinch his title, dropping to the court in celebration.

8:20 pm – Djokovic is still taking pictures and greeting some of his friends, family and supporters after the trophy ceremony, a mere 20 steps or so from the entrance to the court, right where ESPN does all of its pre-match interviews with the players.

The Serbian hugs friends and family, with a simple adjective to describe the scene: ecstatic.

“This is going to be yours in 10 to 15 years’ time,” Djokovic says to a friend’s son.

8:21 pm – The 31-year-old greets actor Gerard Butler, who’s notorious for many roles, including one as the lead actor in 300. Butler and Djokovic pose with the trophy and reenact Butler’s most famous line from that movie:

“This. Is. Sparta!”

After the triumphant roar, Djokovic heads into locker room to celebrate with his team. Eventually he does the television rounds, before meeting the general press at nearly 9:30 pm.

“Life showed me that it takes time for good things, it takes time to really build them, for things to fall into place, so you can centre yourself, balance yourself and thrive. The last two months have been terrific,” Djokovic says.

MONDAY MORNING:
8:03 am – A large black SUV pulls to a stop on West 48th Street in Manhattan, next to Rockefeller Plaza. Djokovic emerges from the car just more than 12 hours after completing his victory over Del Potro.

Sporting a green raincoat and beige pants, the newly minted World No. 3 — up from No. 21 just two months ago — is in a happy mood, as you’d expect, greeting everyone. He says ‘Good Morning’ twice to the group awaiting him.

Producers from the TODAY show are all around, with one asking if Djokovic needs any touch-ups, but there is no need. Djokovic walks into the green room where women’s singles champion Naomi Osaka’s mother is sitting, with Osaka’s agent, Stuart Duguid, right next to her.

Djokovic compliments Osaka’s effort, saying, “She handled herself very well.”

The Serbian enjoys watching her interview on a television in the room while he has a free moment.

“I’ve never been on a talk show before,” Osaka tells the hosts.

Djokovic has. And while he had not triumphed in Flushing Meadows since 2015, this is not new for Djokovic. Instead, it feels as if he is back where he belongs. 

8:10 am – The 71-time tour-level champion gets mic’d up by one of the show’s sound technicians, preparing to enter the TODAY show’s ‘Orange Room’, where Osaka is at the time.

8:11 am – Novak grabs the trophy from USTA Communications manager Eric Schuster and walks into the studio, officially starting his media tour.

8:16 am – TODAY’s Al Roker gives viewers the weather, his last duty on the show before joining Djokovic.

8:17 am – Novak comes out of the studio and poses for a picture with friend Gordon Uehling’s daughter, Zia Uehling.

“I was expecting it to be kind of heavy,” she says as Djokovic lets her hold the trophy.

“It fits you well,” he replies.

Osaka walks out of the studio herself and Djokovic congratulates her, then suggests they pose for some photos.

8:18 am – Djokovic and Osaka return to the studio to take photos, enjoying their moment together.

8:19 am – Djokovic is done at the studio, but not with the show. Roker walks him down a spiral staircase that leads toward the 47th-50th Streets — Rockefeller Center subway station. Surrounded by four US Open security guards, an array of show employees and his own team, Djokovic speaks to Roker as they walk through the corridors about the show, the different sets they use, so on and so forth.

8:21 am – Djokovic and Roker walk by a number of small tables on their right, where New Yorkers enjoy their morning coffee and breakfast with friends or coworkers. For the most part, nobody pays them much attention. The group appears just like the typical swarm rushing through the hall during rush hour in New York City. But one table of three women simultaneously stops what they are doing, following the crowd of people with their eyes, their heads swiveling. One woman in particular stops sipping her coffee, her jaw dropping to the floor. It’s safe to say she recognises Djokovic, Roker, or both.

The group walks by a number of storefronts on the way to the train station itself. As Djokovic walks by a ‘Juice Press’, he gives a small fist pump. He opened a vegan restaurant named Eqvita where he resides — in Monte-Carlo — about two years ago.

8:24 am – Roker gets mic’d up as producers frantically try to arrange cameras in preparation for a live segment with Djokovic and Roker, just 10 to 20 feet from the subway turnstiles. Commuters passing by slowly begin to do double-takes as they realise that the group is not just a bunch of commuters.

And while not everyone realises that Djokovic is there in plain sight, some people take out their phones to document the moment.

8:27 am – As Djokovic is prepared by members of the crew, he is handed a platter of donuts, The champion maintains a gluten-free diet, but he has fun with the moment anyway, The stage manager has a production assistant call back to the control room to turn his ‘listen’ up, as it becomes clear the segment is not too far away.

8:29 am – “It’s Al Roker!”

During the rush of a Monday morning commute, the area becomes significantly more crowded.

“30 seconds!”

Djokovic does a quick dance for the crowd as everyone gets set to go live.

“It’s a great country! Only in New York!” Roker proclaims, laughing.

The weatherman introduces Djokovic as the US Open champion… ‘The Donut Server’, Djokovic jokes.

“You’re known for a different kind of serve,” Roker says, as the pair begins to discuss his victory at Flushing Meadows.

“Realistically, three months ago I was pretty far [from my top level],” Djokovic says.

8:34 am – “Here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods,” says Roker, delivering his trademark closing line to sign off from the interview. The production crew quickly helps Djokovic remove his microphone so the Serbian can get on his way. He takes a minute or so to take some photographs with the fans, enjoying his time in the subway station.

8:36 am – The crowd claps as Djokovic walks up the stairs and up towards the street. The group is ready for the next stop on its tour.

8:39 am – A gentleman walks down the sidewalk and is stunned to see that Djokovic, the US Open champion, is right in front of him, quickly congratulating the Serbian. He fumbles his phone as he asks to take a selfie.

“Let me help you,” Djokovic says, more than happy to please a fan.

8:56 am – The road narrows on West 67th street as dozens of children are on the left side of the street, roped off, gathered for a segment on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, the next stop on the trip. Djokovic gets out of the car and heads past the crowd, widely unnoticed as he walks towards the studio. Once physically in the building, there stands a regulation-sized basketball hoop on the left. He jumps to touch the rim twice. It’s only fitting considering Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said just a week ago that if he could choose any player to join his championship-winning team, he’d take the Serbian.

“I think he can guard anybody,” Kerr told ATPWorldTour.com on 3 September. “He moves his feet extremely well. Side to side, I think he can stay in front of anybody. I think he’d be good in the fast break. I’d like to see him on a basketball court.”

And it turns out he can dunk, too! It’s safe to say Djokovic is faring plenty well on the tennis court as it is.

In front of the group is a large studio door the colour of Roland Garros’ terre battue, with a small sign displaying the show’s name. But instead, everyone walks down a hallway to the right, where there is a green room, on the right side of that narrow path.

Djokovic and select members of his team continue on 10 steps or so before standing in an open space to the right, where he’s held until his segment.

9:00 am – Novak notes the time. Some of Djokovic’s team retreats to the green room to get ready to watch his segment from there.

9:11 am – Guinness World Records adjudicator and spokesperson Michael Empric appears on a television in the green room leading the children that are outside in a simultaneous one-minute floss as they set a world record for most people doing the dance for that long at once.

9:18 am – Djokovic gives high fives to people in the audience on the way out to the desk to meet Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest as confetti sprouts into the air behind him.

9:19 am – Kelly says that it’s “becoming like a tradition” that Djokovic is on the show. It’s another instance showing that, in a way, Djokovic is back on top. He’s no stranger to triumphs. And while he began his 2018 campaign 6-6, this is what is truly normal for him.

After the hosts ask him about his elbow surgery after the Australian Open, Djokovic jokes that doing the floss dance caused his elbow injury 

The Serbian reflects on his victory on Sunday against Del Potro, remembering the sounds he took in and the “uniqueness of the night sessions in Arthur Ashe Stadium”.

9:21 am – The producers pull up a picture of Djokovic during his quarter-final match against John Millman, when he took his shirt off as the Australian left the court to change his clothes.

“You look like you’re at the beach!”

“I have to hit the gym,” Djokovic jokes.

He hugs Ripa, gives Seacrest a warm handshake and it’s back out into the rain. But before jumping in another US Open SUV, Djokovic pauses, and hands off his water bottle to agent Edoardo Artaldi. Djokovic sees a small group of kids who had been on television dancing and decides to walk over and invite them to dance some more.

One day ago, Djokovic won the US Open. But that hasn’t changed his personality in any way. The Serbian takes pride in being a father of two, and his Novak Djokovic Foundation focuses on early-childhood development and education. 

After a few minutes of dancing and pictures with the kids, Djokovic gets back in a car to head to the third and final stop of the tour.

9:43 am – The group pulls into the American Museum of Natural History’s garage, out of the reach of the raindrops. Roberto Lebron, a communications representative for the museum, greets the group and leads everyone inside. The museum is not open to the public until 10:00 am, but Djokovic and company get an early sneak peak.

It’s not his first time there, though, as he took his son, Stefan, there last week.

Djokovic tells Zia Uehling that there are exhibits about oceans, dinosaurs and more. But he pauses for a couple of minutes before everyone moves on again.

9:50 am – The group splits into two elevators to head up to the fourth floor, where a short walk takes everyone to the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs in the David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing, which someone says is the “most visited” wing at the museum.

Djokovic poses for a number of pictures in front of a fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex as museum employees chat with him about what all that is around him.

9:55 am – After a second set of pictures, a photographer asks Djokovic if he can hug his trophy.

“Of course I can hug it!”

After a few more snaps: “Awesome!”

“Let’s see the crocodiles,” Djokovic says. The Serbian is sponsored by Lacoste.

9:58 am – Djokovic does a quick interview with ATP World Tour Uncovered in front of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

“It’s not even 10:00 am and we’ve already done a few things…”

He says that the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs is his son’s “absolute favourite”, and in reflecting on his highs and lows in 2018, adds that, “the whole journey was very special.

“I’m excited for new challenges.”

10:05 am – Djokovic poses with an alligator, and then a crocodile, enjoying every second. Someone in the crowd jokes that the crocodile (which, of course, is not the real thing) might want to take a bite of the US Open trophy.

10:15 am – Djokovic speaks to a tour guide who details all of the different fossils they are walking by, and the Serbian is visibly interested in all of the history. The final stop on the tour is a cast of a 122-foot long Titanosaurus, whose head sticks out of its exhibit. “A plant-eater… my kind of guy!” Djokovic says.

As the day’s activities wrap up, Djokovic steps out of the Titanosaurus exhibit and into a cafe right around the bend to stand by a counter just inside the entrance.

As the photographers and staff await two elevators just feet away, Djokovic’s son, Stefan, arrives. Right as the media tour ends, it’s back to family life for the 31-year-old.

Stefan climbs into his father’s arms. And it’s fitting — the media fun, the trophy, the record $3.8 million in prize money and the thrill of victory are all nice, but it’s clear that Djokovic values one thing above all else: family.

That is who this triumph was truly for.

Novak Djokovic fell to the ground on Sunday at the US Open in celebration of 14th Grand Slam championship crown, which tied him in third place with his idol, Pete Sampras, in the all-time major list. Incredibly, since Roger Federer’s first Wimbledon title in 2003, Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (17) and Djokovic (14) have won 51 of the past 62 Grand Slam championships, while six different players (Andy Murray – 3, Stan Wawrinka – 3, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Gaston Gaudio, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin) have won the other 11 majors.

By lifting the Wimbledon and US Open trophies in the same season, for the third time in his career – adding to his 2011 and 2015 vintages – Djokovic continued his remarkable run of form that has seen him win 22 of his past 23 matches. The Serbian, who became the first singles player to complete the Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, added another US Open crown to his resume with victory over Del Potro on Sunday evening.

It was the 50th ‘Big Title’ – Grand Slam (14), Nitto ATP Finals (5) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (31) crown – of his career (71 titles overall). The victory drew him level with Nadal, who earned his 33rd Masters 1000 trophy at the Rogers Cup (d. Tsitsipas) last month and has won 50 ‘Big Titles’ among his haul of 80. Federer has won 53 ‘Big Titles’ of his 98.

Afterwards, Djokovic admitted, “Maybe 10 years ago, I would have said that I’m not so happy to be part of this era with Nadal and Federer. Today, I really am. I feel like these guys, rivalries with these guys, matches with Federer and Nadal, have made me the player I am. They have shaped me into the player I am today. I owe it to them.”

Djokovic has won 50 ‘Big Titles’ from 169 opportunities, a conversion rate of 3.4. Nadal has a strike-rate of 3.5 from 174 tournaments, while 37-year-old Federer has won a ‘Big Title’ every 4.1 chances (53/219).

The 31-year-old Djokovic, who has compiled a 40-10 record on the season, will join Nadal and Federer at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Buy Your London 2018 Tickets

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.

Be bold enough to walk into the lion’s den.

Novak Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final of the US Open Sunday by attacking – not avoiding – the Argentine’s fearsome forehand.

Djokovic won 111 points for the match, with almost half of them (53) coming from a Del Potro forehand error. Del Potro did hit 16 forehand winners, but the net result of -37 was what the Serbian was constantly mining.

This kind of tactic is actually predicated on Del Potro hitting just enough forehand winners that he keeps swinging for his trademark knock-out blows. But Djokovic was playing a numbers game, constantly moving Del Potro side to side to the edges of the court to apply enough pressure with time and court position to extract a steady stream of forehand errors.

Absorb the punches. Trust the percentages.

Del Potro ran 3525 metres for the match (Djokovic 3679m), for an average on 21.1 metres per point. A lot of that was being initially moved to the Ad court to spar backhand to backhand, and then be pulled wide in the Deuce court to hit a tricky forehand on the run.

Djokovic did hit 13 forehand winners of his own, while yielding only 21 forehand errors in the process. The average rally length per point for the match was a bruising 6.2 shots, with Djokovic winning 49.6 per cent (66/133) of his baseline points, and Del Potro winning 41.8 per cent (64/153).

Djokovic’s game is evolving once again, with the typical label of “aggressive baseliner” no longer doing justice to his superb “all-court” game. Djokovic came to the net a substantial 37 times (Del Potro 17) in the final, winning 28 (75.6%) of those points. The Serbian was constantly looking to use depth as his primary weapon to elicit a short ball, and then use direction, spin and power to the Del Potro’s backhand to force a difficult passing shot.

Djokovic came at Del Potro so many different ways. Djokovic hit 13 forehand winners, three backhand winners, seven volley winners, seven overhead winners, two approach winners and two drop shot winners.

It was the Swiss Army knife of strategies.

Djokovic’s game is stunningly complete in every which way you can imagine. He even served and volleyed twice in the final to provide a different look, winning one of those points.

Watch Tribute To Djokovic After He Completed The Big Titles Sweep

Another layer of confusion of what was coming next centred on Djokovic’s first serve location. In the Deuce court he served 20 times out wide and 19 down the T. In the Ad court, he served wide 13 times, 12 at the body, and seven down the T.

There was simply no chance Del Potro was going to win the guessing game of serve location.

The Argentine really struggled to find free points, only collecting six aces, with Djokovic missing just 18 of 88 returns for the match. The Serbian was especially rock solid returning in the Ad court, making 13 of 14 forehand returns and 19 of 21 backhand returns.

If there was a winning percentage to be mined anywhere on the court, that’s exactly where you would find the Super Serbian.

In many ways, this match was not about Djokovic at all. It was more far more important for him to hit the ball where Del Potro didn’t want it rather than trying to win with his own favourite patterns.

Mike Bryan and Jack Sock concluded the third quarter of the 2018 ATP World Tour season in familiar fashion, replicating their end to the previous quarter with a Grand Slam title.

Having lifted their maiden Grand Slam doubles title as a team at Wimbledon, Mike Bryan, due to the continued absence of injured brother Bob Bryan, and Jack Sock continued their partnership to great effect. The American duo scored their second Grand Slam title as a team, a record-breaking 18th men’s doubles crown for Mike Bryan, cruising past seventh seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Bryan and Sock won just one of three matches in their two tour-level events post-Wimbledon, but once again produced their best tennis in Grand Slam play to lift their second straight major trophy. Kubot and Melo also entered Flushing Meadows in poor form, having won only one match in four tour-level events after a second-round exit at Wimbledon. But the Polish-Brazilian duo worked their way into form in New York, winning three of five matches in deciding sets before falling to Bryan and Sock in their second Grand Slam final as a team.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares enjoyed success in America, winning two titles at the Citi Open and the Western & Southern Open. The British-Brazilian pairing, who compiled an 11-2 record in the third quarter of the season, reached the quarter-finals in New York before a straight-sets loss to Radu Albot and Malek Jaziri.

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who lost to Murray and Soares in the Cincinnati final, also backed up a strong week in Ohio by reaching the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows. The Colombians lost a tight three-set semi-final to Bryan and Sock.

Despite a second-round loss at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, Henri Kontinen and John Peers can be pleased with their efforts in North America. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals titlists lifted their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy of the season at the Rogers Cup, beating in-form partnership Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus in the championship match.

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos also impressed, winning back-to-back clay-court titles in Bastad and Hamburg. The South American duo survived four Match Tie-breaks in as many matches to lift the trophy in Hamburg, denying Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic a fifth title of the season. Marach and Pavic, who remain atop the ATP Doubles Race To London standings, also reached the Rogers Cup semi-finals in Toronto.

ATP Doubles Race To London Top Five

View Full ATP Doubles Race To London

No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro, +2
The popular Argentinean is next in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November, after reaching the US Open final for the second time (also 2009). Read More & Watch Highlights

Buy Your London Tickets

Del Potro rose two spots to third place in the ATP Race To London by beating the likes of John Isner and Rafael Nadal, prior to the final against Novak Djokovic. Del Potro has a 43-11 record on the season, which includes two titles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (d. Anderson) and his first at ATP World Tour Masters 1000-level at the BNP Paribas Open (d. Federer).

Del Potro is attempting to qualify for the fifth time overall – and first time since 2013 – and join Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer at the season finale.

View Latest ATP Race To London

No. 2 Novak Djokovic, +1
Djokovic captured his 14th Grand Slam championship crown (tied third with Pete Sampras in the all-time list), and is now just three titles from second-placed Nadal (17), with his third US Open trophy. The 31-year-old, who was in 15th place in the ATP Race To London on 2 July, is now up to second and 1,035 points behind Nadal (7,480), ensuring a potential battle royale for the 2018 year-end No. 1 honour.

No. 12 David Goffin, +5
The Belgian jumped five places to 12th in the battle for a spot at the season finale, following a run to the US Open fourth round (l. to Cilic). Last year’s runner-up in London (l. to Dimitrov) went 9-3 on the North American hard-court swing.

No. 15 Milos Raonic, +4
The Canadian, a qualifier at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2014 and 2016, continued his return to top form by advancing to the fourth round in the Big Apple, beating Stan Wawrinka in the third round before falling to John Isner. He moved up four spots to 15th.

No. 16 Borna Coric, +4
The 21-year-old Croatian improved to 29-15 on the season after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship for the first time, losing to Del Potro.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 28 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +5
No. 30 John Millman, +16
No. 35 Philipp Kohlschreiber, +9
No. 46 Joao Sousa, +21