Novak Djokovic battles to win first round match at US Open

Djokovic, who hasn’t won a Grand Slam rubric successful 2 years, was acold from his champion against Learner Tien successful the opening circular astatine Flushing Meadows.

Novak Djokovic delivered a acquisition successful Grand Slam tenacity to Learner Tien successful the archetypal circular of the US Open, arsenic helium battled past the American teen 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 and launched his latest quest for a grounds 25th large title.

Competing successful his archetypal singles lucifer since reaching the Wimbledon semifinals past month, and swapping the whites for a sleek all-black outfit, the 38-year-old Serb fought done carnal issues connected Sunday to unafraid his 80th triumph astatine Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Victory besides meant Djokovic became the archetypal subordinate since the athletics turned nonrecreational successful 1968 to triumph 75 consecutive opening-round matches astatine the Grand Slams, with 55 of those wins coming successful consecutive sets.

“It was a unusual benignant of match,” said Djokovic, who looked to beryllium struggling with an wounded midway done the match.

“The archetypal acceptable was 20 minutes, and past the 2nd 1 was 1 hr and 20, rather the other sets we played. It was cardinal for maine to clasp my nervus successful the 2nd acceptable and clinch it successful a tie-break.

“After that, I started feeling better. I tin ever bash better, but it’s a large mode to commencement this year’s campaign.”

The seventh effect shrugged disconnected a clip usurpation to consolidate an aboriginal interruption astatine the commencement of the contest, and a heated statement with the seat umpire soon afterwards spurred him connected to wrapper up the opening acceptable successful double-quick time.

The 19-year-old Tien, connected a near-impossible ngo to manus Djokovic his archetypal opening-round nonaccomplishment astatine a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open, had his chances to gully level during a draining 2nd acceptable but crumbled successful the tie-break.

After attraction for a close ft blister, Djokovic produced dense groundstrokes from the baseline to interruption for a 3-1 pb successful the 3rd set. The four-time New York champion ne'er looked backmost from there, booking a match-up with American Zachary Svajda.

“Good happening is that I person 2 days off. It’s somewhat a concern. I don’t person an wounded oregon anything. I conscionable struggled to enactment successful agelong exchanges and retrieve aft points,” Djokovic said.

Novak Djokovic, right, shakes hands with Learner Tien aft their first-round lucifer [Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images via Reuters]