Well, that's one way to win your first major title -- by coolly thwarting one of the greatest to ever play the game. Daniil Medvedev became a champion on Sunday when he defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 with history on the line in the 2021 US Open final.
Medvedev's upset win ended Djokovic's bid to break a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (20 apiece) for most major titles in men's tennis history.
But that's not all a Djokovic win would have signified. It also would have marked the completion of the calendar-year Grand Slam, making Djokovic the first man to win all four majors -- the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open -- in the same year since 1969. No big deal.
We were being facetious, of course. The possibility was an entirely big deal. Which is why it was no surprise that the stars were out in full force to watch Sunday's match in New York.
From Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper to Spike Lee and Maria Sharapova, here's who was in attendance as Medvedev became the only player to defeat Djokovic in a Grand Slam in 2021:
Don't stop Medvedev now.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Rami Malek (aka Freddie Mercury) is enjoying the match 🎤 pic.twitter.com/E3Uo9rdLdQ
MARIA 😍👏@MariaSharapova | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/7Ci18zFRuc
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Spike knows drama. pic.twitter.com/cfplUkrihw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
Brad & Bradley pic.twitter.com/201MXaIyDP
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2021
As Medvedev put the finishing touches on his stunning upset, stars also took to social media to react to the remarkable moment:
Uh, my heart breaks for @DjokerNole #Djokovic #USOpen2021 Congrats to #Medvedev WOW!
— LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) September 12, 2021
Flawless match strategy by Medvedev. He deserved the win today. We still need to acknowledge how phenomenal Novak was this year (and for 15 yesrs) Was fun to watch. Congrats to both!!
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) September 12, 2021
Omg 😭😭😭😭 I like Meddy don't get me wrong but history would have been amazing. Novak is the GOAT and deserves it https://t.co/cihdy6PAuQ
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) September 12, 2021
3 grand slams this year, World number 1 and FAR from over! The 🐐 will be back! @DjokerNole
— Nemanja Nedovic (@nedovic1624) September 12, 2021
