When Daniil Medvedev made his first U.S. Open final two years ago, he did it to a soundtrack of frequent boos, leaning into a villain role he acquired during a contentious third-round match and goading the crowd before ultimately winning it over with his valorous losing effort in the final against Rafael Nadal.
This year, on his second trip to the final, Medvedev raced quietly through the draw, winning with little drama or excitement compared with the teenagers Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu, who have electrified the women’s draw, and with Novak Djokovic’s quest for the Grand Slam on the other half of the men’s draw.