Novak Djokovic looked tired. He looked hurt. And sometimes on Sunday nights he looked just old.
Djokovic overcomes it all, improving to 19-0 in the first round of the US Open, fighting some leg troubles, defeating learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
However, the 38-year-old admitted his concerns after working midway through his first match since Wimbledon.
“I don’t know. There’s no injuries or anything. I stayed in a long exchange and struggled with a lot of things to recover after the points,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic put his hands on his knees multiple times in the second set, then treated him for blisters with his right big toe. However, after defeating his serve in the first game of the third set, he won the next five games to regain control.
It was the first match of the 24 Grand Slam champions since falling to Janik Thinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals. He rolled the first set in just 24 minutes, then tired from the second set, taking nearly an hour.
“I got off to a great start. Over 20 minutes, the first set, I really feel good,” Djokovic said. “Then a long game to start the second set, and I really started to feel – I don’t know why. I was surprised at how bad I felt in the second.”
Seventh seed Djokovic created a career that worn out his opponents, but it seemed he physically felt it in the second set against a California opponent half his age.
“To be very honest with you, it’s fine if you’re the age of the learner, Tien, but that’s not possible,” Djokovic said in a post-match interview.
His face turned red and by the time the tiebreaker arrived he was huffing and breathing, so he received a second match violation in it, sacrificing his first serve.
Tien scored points tied to three on Djokovic’s second service before Djokovic scored the next four points.
He was then visited by a trainer at his seat. Djokovic appeared to be suffering from his lower left leg later on the set, but it was his right leg that he received treatment during his medical timeout.
Djokovic felt good in the third set, aiming for his 75th consecutive first-round victory in the Grand Slam tournament.
He hasn’t won one of them since his victory at the US Open in 2023. Djokovic has chosen to skip all the hard court tournaments leading up to the final majors of this season.
However, Tien does not rule out running for the Serbs.
“It’s obviously a sinner and (Carlos) Alcaraz, those guys are playing very well, but I don’t think I’ll count him,” Tien said. “I think he has the ability to play his best tennis and peaks like peaks when he needs him the most, so I’m going to say he has the shots.”
Perhaps Djokovic will be helped with an extra rest before his second match, thanks to playing on the first day of the tournament, which begins a day ago on Sunday.
“It can be positive, but sometimes it doesn’t happen, like how I feel on the court, like the way I felt physically in the second set,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully it won’t happen because it will definitely make my life in court much more challenging.”