Novak Djokovic survived and advanced at the U.S. Open on Sunday night, but he didn’t do much more than that.
Dealing with foot blisters and what also seemed to be general fatigue, the 38-year-old Serb managed to scrape past Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 and secure a spot in round two. Djokovic got the job done in two hours and 25 minutes.
The four-time U.S. Open champion actually looked decent enough in the first and third sets, but the second was a struggle. Djokovic frequently keeled over in between points and called for the trainer well before it ended, although he did not get looked until the break in between sets. Tien arguably should have tied the match at a set apiece–but when he didn’t, it was all over for the 19-year-old American.
“It was a strange kind of match,” Djokovic assessed during his on-court interview. “The first set was 20 minutes and then the second one was one hour and 20, so quite the opposite sets we played,It was key for me to hold my nerves in the second set and clinch it in a tiebreak.
“After that I started feeling better. I can always do better, but it’s a great way to start this year’s campaign.”
Djokovic will face another American, qualifier Zachary Svajda, in the second round on Wednesday.
a lot of players would have beaten him today
Could be his last US open
Doubt it, he’s made no secret of wanting to play the Olympics in 2028 USA, to try to defend the gold medal he won