Djokovic flies through US Open first round

Novak Djokovic began his pursuit of a historic 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open with a somewhat shaky yet effective straight-sets victory over qualifier Radu Albot. The match, which ended 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in Djokovic’s favor, marked his return to competitive tennis after winning the singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics three weeks prior.

No man has won more matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium than Novak Djokovic! pic.twitter.com/kw3mNORpjH

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2024

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Entering the Arthur Ashe Stadium to a hero’s welcome, Djokovic, carrying gold-colored bags in a nod to his Olympic triumph, was far from his best during the late-night encounter. Despite his struggles with serving—hitting 10 double faults—and accumulating nearly twice as many unforced errors (40) as winners, Djokovic still managed to secure his 78th win at the venue.

Throughout the match, Djokovic’s coach, Nena Zimonjic, was visibly animated, shouting instructions in Serbian as the world number two labored to convert only six out of 16 break points. However, Albot, despite showing some resilience, particularly in the third set, couldn’t capitalize on Djokovic’s subpar form.

Djokovic is chasing several milestones in New York, including a fifth U.S. Open title to tie the professional era record held by Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, and Roger Federer, as well as becoming the first back-to-back champion since Federer’s five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008.