Novak Djokovic began his title defense at the 2024 US Open with a win over Moldova’s Radu Albot in the first round on Monday, August 26. He defeated Albot 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and eight minutes.
Weeks after a historic triumph at the Paris Olympics, the Serb looked a little rusty during the match as he committed a staggering 10 double faults while only 47 percent of his first serves went in.
He was inefficient with converting break points as Albot saved his serve 10 out of 16 times asking. Also, the defending champion registered a total of 40 unforced errors in the three sets.
In the post-match press conference, Djokovic accepted producing inconsistent tennis against the world No. 138 on the court.
“I think it was a solid start. Look, I struggled with my serve and the rhythm on certain shots. Overall from the back of the court, I thought I played pretty well,” he said.
He reflected on the lack of playing time on hard courts before the tournament, saying:
“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 US Open. So, I’m expecting to be probably challenged a little bit more in the opening rounds.”
The 37-year-old has been playing with a brace on his right knee since undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear that he suffered during the 2024 French Open. He, however, assured the joint is all right.
“The knee is fine really. I haven’t had any issues throughout the entire Olympic tournament and here first round. Knock on wood, it’s all good,” he added.
Novak Djokovic: “Going to hit the practice courts and work on things that haven’t worked during the match”
In the same press conference at the 2024 US Open on Monday, Novak Djokovic looked forward to making the most out of the one-day break before his next match. He said:
“Hopefully, I can play better each day. The good thing about Slams is you have a day between matches where you can train, where you can really work on things and perfect your game. That’s what I need. That’s what I feel like I need.
“So, I’m going to hit the practice courts tomorrow and work on things that haven’t really worked during the match and, yeah, keep striving to be better.”
Djokovic will face fellow Serb Laslo Djere in the second round. Djere defeated Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in a grueling five-setter on Monday. He battled with the Struff for three hours and 43 minutes to complete a 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2 win.
Notably, Djere threatened to oust Djokovic from the 2023 US Open by claiming the first two sets in their third-round meeting but the latter staged a comeback to secure a 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory and reached the fourth round.
Whoever out of the two Serbs comes out on top, will take on either 28th seed Alexei Popyrin or Pedro Martinez in the third round of the US Open.
