Novak Djokovic ‘expecting to be challenged’ after making US Open history
Novak Djokovic has begun his US Open title defence with a straight sets victory, moving ahead of former rival Roger Federer with a record at the New York major.
Djokovic beat Moldovan Radu Albot, 6-2 6-2 6-4, in his first match since winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris earlier this month.
This was Djokovic’s 78th win on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the biggest tennis stadium in the world, moving ahead of Federer as a result.
When speaking to press after the match, Djokovic spoke about how much he enjoys the atmosphere on the US Open showcourt, despite completing his match around midnight in New York.
“I wasn’t aware of it, to be honest,” said Djokovic after being told of the achievement. “It’s the biggest stadium, definitely the loudest we have in the history of our sport. The night sessions are the best in the world on Arthur Ashe and ever since the roof was introduced it became even louder. Electric atmosphere. Incredible energy.”
He continued, “Obviously with some new rules this year with the crowd able to move around, there are a lot of things happening on court. We’re clocking midnight right now. I love night sessions, maybe not this late, but nevertheless it was great fun. I wanted to kickstart the tournament in the right way and I think I did.”
No man has won more matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium than Novak Djokovic! pic.twitter.com/kw3mNORpjH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2024
Although Djokovic is safely into the second round, the Serbian still hit 40 unforced errors and 10 double faults in what was a far from perfect performance.
This is something that the 37-year-old recognised after the victory, noting that it was his first hard court match since Indian Wells back in March.
“I think it was a solid start. I struggled with my serve and the rhythm on certain shots,” admitted Djokovic. “Overall from the back of the court, I thought I played pretty well.
“It’s always challenging to start, particularly when you haven’t played on this surface for five, six months and coming off an Olympic gold and playing on clay. I haven’t had any official matches before the US Open. So I’m expecting to be probably challenged a little bit more in the opening rounds.”
The 24-time major winner added, “Hopefully I can play better each day. The good thing about Slams is you have a day between matches where you can train, you can work on things, and perfect your game. That’s what I need. That’s what I feel like I need.”
Djokovic will now have a day away from the matchcourt before taking on compatriot Laslo Djere in the second round on Wednesday.
Inside the baseline…
The fact that Novak Djokovic hit that many unforced errors and still won so comfortably shows just how good he is. Obviously Djokovic will need to reign these errors in as the tournament goes on, but like he said it might take time given his lack of hard court matches in recent months. Djokovic seemed completely unaware of his achievements on Arthur Ashe Stadium and it seems very likely that he will move ahead of Roger Federer in this tournament.
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