Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round of the ongoing US Open after winning his round 1 match against home favourite Learner Tien on Sunday. In his first competitive outing after a six-week break, Djokovic appeared to physically struggle before registering a victory in straight sets against the American youngster. Djokovic worked through his physical discomfort to secure a 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 win against the 19-year-old.
Even at 38 years old, Djokovic has been the third-best player at the Grand Slam tournaments this year, reaching the semi-final of all three prior events. However, many sports experts note that his ageing body has struggled to handle the physicality required to succeed in the best-of-five-sets format, a fact that became more evident on Sunday night.
Key moments from the game
After blazing through the opening set in top form, Djokovic began to struggle in the second set. Taking advantage of the Serb’s exhaustion, Tien started dragging the 24-time grand slam winner into extended, physical exchanges that exposed his limited agility when compared to the 19-year-old.
Djokovic’s physical struggles worsened towards the end of the second set as the Serb was repeatedly seen stretching out his left leg during points to arrive at some relief. Tien tried to exploit the Serb’s difficulties by dragging him into lengthy rallies, causing Djokovic to bail out some points with last-minute drop shots.
At one point in the second set tie-break, Djokovic registered a second time violation warning as he tried to catch his breath after a lengthy exchange. Despite a tiring second set, the Serb held his nerves at important moments to edge out a victory in the second set. Following a brief break, Djokovic appeared to find his rhythm in the third set, where he once again dominated the American with considerable ease to secure his round 1 victory.
Djokovic’s post-match comments
“I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good, then some long games to start the second set, and then I started to feel really… I don’t know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second set physically,” the 24-time grand slam winner told the press after the game.
“For me, I haven’t played a match, an official match, for six weeks. I had to deliver my A-game, which I did I think in the first set. However, in the second, it was all about surviving on the court. But in the important moments, I just put one ball more in the court than he did,” Djokovic reflected on his game
“I think it was also good to experience that, in a sense, kind of breaking the ice officially in the tournament. So you know, looking forward to the next challenge,” the 38-year-old Tennis player added.
Djokovic will next face the American qualifier Zachary Svajda, who reached the second round with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Zsombor Piros.