Novak Djokovic has dealt with pressure in spectacular ways for many years as the Serbian is widely believed to be one of the mentally strongest players ever. Rarely ever does he get rattled but Patrick Mouratoglou believes the significance of the calendar grand slam got to him a bit:
"The burden of history is heavy to bear, this applies to all human beings. Novak Djokovic has carried him on his shoulders throughout the year and congratulations on how he handled the pressure. Last night he felt the love and support of the people for the first time, but it was impossible to complete the work. I congratulate Daniil Medvedev for playing exceptional tennis. He deserved to win the title."
Djokovic did put a lot of pressure on himself by saying he would play the final as it was his last match and that might have contributed to the fact. The Serbian has always been a steady guy never putting too much pressure on himself. He always underlined the importance of taking things slowly and living in the present moment but it seems this time around it was too much for him.
History is heavy. Novak has been carrying it on his shoulders all year long and has felt isolated in his quest. Yesterday he felt support for the first time but too late. Huge congratulations to @DaniilMedwed for playing an atomic level of tennis! Well deserved.
If you want to know how heavy history weighs, the answer starts in 3mn.
