Novak Djokovic exclusive: ‘A dream year’ – Reaction to 24th Grand Slam title at US Open and inspiration from daughter

Novak Djokovic gave Eurosport his immediate on-court reaction after he secured his 24th Grand Slam title in beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the US Open final on Sunday.

Djokovic has now managed to win three Grand Slams in a season on four occasions as he again came agonisingly short of a calendar Slam, having been edged out by Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon earlier in the summer.

Reflecting on this latest triumph on the biggest stage in the sport and also his season as a whole, he told Eurosport’s Barbara Schett, Mats Wilander and Alex Corretja that “this has been a dream year”.

“This is going to take some time to settle in,” Djokovic admitted to Eurosport as he clutched the trophy.

“When he missed his last forehand, I was so relieved, honestly. I was just thinking about getting over the finish line because I was so exhausted.

“The second set was one of the longest sets I have ever played in my life, and I knew he would not go down without a battle.

“I thought he was probably the better player for most of the second set, and I think that made the difference. It was really anybody’s game in the second set.

“In the third, it was just surviving and trying to get over the line. It was very stressful, but of course.

“I am very, very proud and this has been a dream year with three out of four Slams and the final at Wimbledon. I did not think it was going to go that way.

“I just managed to find the right play at the right time and stayed aggressive when I had an opportunity – you have to do that against Daniil because he is so good when he has got the rhythm.”

Asked about his emotional embrace with his six-year-old daughter Tara, he gave a touching response.

“I was watching her the entire match,” he said. “She was sitting in the front row; she was facing me when I was sitting on the bench, and we laughed at each other several times.

“She showed me the fist pump. She is only six years old, and in exactly the moments when I needed to have this playfulness and this joy and to relax a little bit in high stress – particularly in the second set – she looked at me and she gave me this energy.

“That is why I went to her first – of course because she is my daughter, but she also helped me the most in this match.

“I love her so much, and to have her, my wife, my son [Stefan] and my parents – I felt everyone’s support and love. This is their trophy as well.”