Novak Djokovic battled back from a set down to reach the second round of the US Open and draw level with one of Roger Federer’s most impressive records.
Jannik Sinner has been hailed by some observers as the most polished player the game has ever seen on a hard court after he won the last three Grand Slams played on the surface, but he has a long way to go to match the records of Federer and Djokovic.
Federer won six Australian Open titles and five US Open titles in tournaments played on hard courts, while Djokovic has won a record 10 Australian Open titles and four more on the US Open hard courts.
The ‘Big 2’ from the Open era of men’s tennis are also in a league of their own when it comes to match wins on hard courts, with Djokovic now level with Federer after recording his 191st win on the surface with a less-than-convincing win against qualifier Zachary Svajda.
After losing the first set on a tie-break, Djokovic fought back to claim a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory, but he was forced to admit he was uncomfortable on court for a second match in success.
The 38-year-old admitted he was surprised by his physical conditioning as he beat Learner Tien in his opening match, and he struggled again in a performance that threw up as many questions as it provided answers.
“I didn’t feel that great, to be honest. I wasn’t happy with my tennis for the first part of the match, but also credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis,” said Djokovic.
“It was unfortunate that he struggled with injury towards the end of the second set, but kudos to him for staying on the court. It was obvious he couldn’t serve as well as he did for a set and a half.
“I wished him all the best at the net because I think he’s playing really well.”
Djokovic opted against playing any warm-up events ahead of the US Open, and his match sharpness is sadly lacking as he looks to compete with younger opponents who are playing a full tournament schedule.
He does not look like a contender to win a 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open unless he finds a way to get up to physical speed in double quick time, with the challenges in front of him set to get sterner after he saw off Svajda.
“That’s what I’m hoping [for], that was the case for most of my Grand Slam career. The deeper I go in the tournament, the better I feel about my game,” he added.
“It’s obviously a little different in the past couple of years for my body-wise, I get wear and tear quicker than I ever used to, so I have to deal with that, a lot of recovery stuff to try to make myself able to perform at the highest level.”
Djokovic appeared to be relieved rather than overjoyed after he won his latest US Open match, as he must know he will not have any chance of beating the game’s top players unless he improves his physical condition in double quick time, and that seems unlikely mid-way through a Grand Slam tournament.
