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Novak Djokovic’s campaign for a historic 25th Grand Slam singles title began with a straight-sets victory at the US Open on Sunday, but the Serbian legend admitted concerns over his physical condition after a patchy second-set display.
The 38-year-old overcame American teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in two hours and 25 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, though he required a medical timeout for a blister on his right foot and endured a noticeable dip in energy midway through the match.
Djokovic stormed through the opening set in just over 20 minutes, showcasing the kind of dominance that has defined his storied career. However, the second set told a different story. Lengthy rallies and extended games appeared to drain the Serbian, who began to pile up unforced errors and saw his intensity falter.
“I started great — just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” Djokovic said. “Then some long games to start the second set…I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically. “We had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match.”
Although he managed to steady himself and take the second-set tiebreak with a combination of net approaches and smart variation, Djokovic admitted the physical lull was troubling. “It’s slightly a concern,” he said. “I don`t know. I don`t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points.”
A medical timeout between sets helped Djokovic regain his composure and energy. He returned to the court rejuvenated, immediately breaking Tien’s serve and racing to a 5-1 lead in the third. Though the young American saved a match point and briefly broke back, Djokovic quickly extinguished the fightback, sealing the match with another break.
Despite the second-set scare, Djokovic showed flashes of his trademark brilliance, striking clean winners, attacking the net decisively, and dictating rallies with surgical precision.
Now into the second round, the world No. 2 will face American qualifier Zachary Svajda as he continues his quest to move past Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam record.
Having opted to skip the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters events after his Wimbledon semi-final loss, Djokovic is banking on freshness, experience, and his enduring hunger for titles. “I still have the flair, I still have the drive, and you guys give me the energy. Hopefully I can keep it going,” he told the crowd.
(With AFP inputs)
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