Novak Djokovic battles to advance past Tien in US Open
Novak Djokovic showed his trademark resilience on Sunday, overcoming physical struggles to defeat American teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open. The 38-year-old Serbian is now on a mission to claim a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Competing in his first singles match since last month’s Wimbledon semifinals, Djokovic swapped his usual whites for an all-black outfit, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Despite battling a right foot blister, the four-time New York champion secured his 80th win at Arthur Ashe Stadium and set a new professional-era record: he is the first player since 1968 to win 75 consecutive opening-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments, 55 of them in straight sets.
“It was a strange kind of match,” Djokovic said. “The first set was 20 minutes, and then the second one was one hour and 20. Holding my nerve in the second-set tie-break was key. After that, I started feeling better. I can always do better, but it’s a great way to start this year’s campaign.”
Djokovic, the seventh seed, shrugged off a time violation early in the match and overcame a heated exchange with the chair umpire to claim the first set swiftly.
Tien, 19, aimed to hand Djokovic his first opening-round Grand Slam loss since the 2006 Australian Open. He showed promise in the second set but ultimately fell in the tie-break. In the third set, Djokovic’s heavy baseline groundstrokes secured a 3-1 lead, and he never looked back, earning a second-round clash against American Zachary Svajda.
“The good thing is I have two days off,” Djokovic added. “It’s slightly a concern. I don’t have an injury, but I struggled to stay in long exchanges and recover after points.”
Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam since his 2023 US Open triumph, making this year’s campaign crucial in his pursuit of history.
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