Antoine Terrel 12:35 p.m., September 11, 2021

If he wins the final of the US Open, the Serbian champion will become the only record holder for Grand Slam titles, ahead of Nadal and Federer.

But for that he will have to ignore the pressure, warns Cédric Pioline, consultant of Europe 1, which foresees a "historic and very exciting moment". 

INTERVIEW

It is only one game away from the ultimate consecration. By beating Alexandre Zverev in the semifinals, Novak Djokovic qualified for the US Open tennis final on Friday. Opposed to Russian Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, the Serbian world No. 1 will therefore have the opportunity to win a 21st Grand Slam tournament and thus overtake Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who each have 20 major titles. At the same time, he could be the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to perform a Grand Slam during the year (winning the same year the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open). This final could therefore become a legend, and the former player Cédric Pioline, consultant for Europe 1, foresees "a historic and very exciting moment". 

"The game where he will have the most pressure"

In case of victory, Novak Djokovic "will be alone on the roof of the tennis world", warns Cédric Pioline, who however warns against the risk for the Serbian to be overwhelmed by the importance of the stake.

"Of his entire career, this is probably the game where he will have the most pressure," he said, describing the latter as having to be "at the limit of the bearable". 

Follow Djokovic's final live on Europe 1.

While Novak Djokovic will try to win his 21st Grand Slam on Sunday and thus overtake Nadal and Federer, Europe 1 invites you to follow this potentially historic final during a special evening. The match will be commented live on our antenna from 10 pm, and our journalists will be present in New York, but also in Belgrade, in Serbia. 

For Djokovic, "the difficulty will be to stay focused on the moment, on the present", believes Cédric Pioline, especially since the US Open is undoubtedly the Grand Slam where "the atmosphere is the most electric" . And in front of him, he recalls, it is a major opponent who presents himself in the person of Medvedev. "He's a hell of a customer, even if he has never won a Grand Slam," boasts the former tennis player. But against the world No. 2, Djokovic will still be the big favorite.