Top 10 Quotes of 2021: Medvedev's major losses serve as fuel to triumph in New York 

8. Losing is Motivation

Daniil Medvedev was confident in his game heading into the US Open and for good reason. Before traveling to New York, he captured Canada's Masters 1000 lead up and only dropped a single set in the process. He also claimed Mallorca and Marseille earlier in the season and he reached another major final in Australia against Novak Djokovic.

But when he stood across the net from the world No. 1 the second time in 2021, he came ready to triumph. The Russian was rolling through the draw, taking down Richard Gasquet, Dominik Koepfer, Pablo Andujar, Daniel Evans, Botic van de Vandschulp, and Felix Auger-Aliassime respectively before securing his final-round spot at the US Open.

During all of this he sat down before press to talk about his game. “I know what I’m capable of. It’s tough to beat me," Medvedev told press.

The more you lose something, the more you want to win it. The more you want to gain it and take it. - Daniil Medvedev

The 25-year-old knew exactly what was at stake for the Serbian—A career Grand Slam. It would also mark the first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 that the feat was accomplished and it would see Djokovic take the lead in terms of most major titles on the men's side.

"The more you lose something, the more you want to win it," he said before the final affair. "The more you want to gain it and take it. I lost two finals. I want to win the third one."

The US Open final wasn't his first rodeo, he reached this stage back in 2019 and fell to Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-set battle and he certainly didn't want to repeat that or this year's Australian Open straight-set loss. The world No. 2 knew what he was capable of and in the end he got exactly what he manifested for himself—Grand Slam title No. 1.

Posting a solid 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 score his focus in the face of adversity is what saw him take the title and deny the 20-time major champion the trophy. With so much pressure surrounding the two, neither played their best, but Medvedev's vision and will to win gave him the edge in Flushing Meadows.

“He was going for some huge history, and knowing that I managed to stop him, it definitely makes it sweeter," Medvedev told media following the victory.