Novak Djokovic got his US Open campaign underway with a straight-sets victory, but the win wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. The world No. 1 defeated American teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to book his place in the second round, though he admitted afterward that his body didn’t cooperate as he would have liked.
The Serbian received two time violations, the second during the second-set tiebreak, which cost him his first serve. Clearly irritated, he exchanged words with the chair umpire, asking, “Did you really have to do that?” before going on to lose the point.
After the match, Djokovic admitted he felt unwell without knowing the exact reason. “I started great… and then I start to feel really – I don’t know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling physically,” he said.
“I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match. I’m glad that I reset myself after the second set,” he added. Although he acknowledged the positives in his game, he admitted being worried about his dip in the second set: “because then my life on the court will be much more difficult”.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, making his 19th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows and recorded his 80th win on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the most by any male player, Djokovic pulled further ahead of Roger Federer (77) and Rafael Nadal (64).
Djokovic clarifies he doesn’t have any injuries
However, the four-time champion clarified he didn’t have any injuries. “Luckily, I have two days off, but yes, it’s a bit concerning. I don’t know. I don’t have any injury or anything. It was just very hard for me to stay in long rallies and recover after points,” he said.
The Serbian star arrived in New York without any competing time since his semifinal lost to Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon, as he decided to skip both Cincinnati and Toronto. However, he survived a difficult first clash.
Now, Djokovic will play against 22-year-old American Zachary Svajda, who earned his spot in the main draw after winning in the qualifiers. He defeated Italian Zsombor Piros in the first round in three sets.