Novak Djokovic kick-started his US Open campaign with a straight-set win against Learner Tien, but the veteran admitted he struggled physically in the second set. The Serbian claimed a 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 win against the youngster to move into the second round.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is hopeful that he doesn’t feel the same in the upcoming rounds. Djokovic said he struggled to find his top fitness and game in long rallies against the youngster, which could be concerning signs for him.
“I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” said Djokovic in his post-match press conference following his 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 win. “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 physically.
“Yeah, 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. I’m glad that I kind of reset myself after the second set. And the third set was okay to finish up the match.”
Djokovic said the two-day break will certainly help him recover, and he would look to be at his best in the next round.
“There are positives but also things that hopefully won’t happen in terms of how I feel on the court physically, the way I felt in the second set,” reflected the No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen, because then it makes my life on the court definitely much more challenging.
“Good thing, two days off now. But yeah, it’s slightly a concern. 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.”
Djokovic’s last appearance on the tour came back in the semifinal of Wimbledon, and he didn’t take part in the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, thus had a six-week break. The Serbian said it wasn’t easy to hit the ground running.
“There was quite a bit of tension on the court, playing a young American, night session,” said Djokovic, who is now 27-9 for the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “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. Particularly in the second, it was surviving on the court. But in the important moments I just put one ball more in the court than he did.
“I think it was also good to experience that, in a sense, kind of break the ice officially in the tournament. So you know, looking forward to the next challenge.”
Djokovic will face Zachary Svajda in the second round.
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