Veteran Novak Djokovic voices physical concerns after US Open win

NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic fears his lack of physical conditioning may come back to haunt him as he chases a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open.

The 38-year-old Serbian superstar made a winning start to his latest tilt at glory on Aug 24, defeating US teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in 2hr 25min on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

But Djokovic, who needed a lengthy medical timeout to treat a blister on his right foot between the second and third sets, admitted afterwards he was worried by a sudden loss of stamina during the second set.

“I started great – just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” he said.

“Then some long games to start the second set... I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically.

“We had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match.

“There are positives but also things that hopefully won’t happen, in terms of how I felt on the court physically in the second set.

“It’s slightly a concern. I don’t know. I don’t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points.”

Djokovic has not played since his semi-final defeat by eventual champion Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July, skipping ATP Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati to focus all his energy on the US Open.

While there were a few signs of rustiness on Aug 24, Djokovic also laced his performance with flashes of the brilliance that has been his calling card throughout a glittering career.

Djokovic looked to be a man in a hurry in a scorching start, rattling off winners to take the first set 6-1.

Tien was given hope in a laboured second set from Djokovic, but the 19-year-old American could not convert a break point that would have made it one set all.

Instead, Djokovic held serve to make it 5-5 in the second set and reasserted himself to claim the second-set tiebreak, attacking the net cleverly and using some sublime variation to pull Tien all over the court.

Djokovic paused for a medical timeout for treatment to his right foot before the third set got under way.

The rest appeared to give Djokovic a jolt of energy and he sprinted into a 5-1 lead to leave Tien reeling. Tien did well to save a match point on Djokovic’s serve before breaking for 5-2.

But the respite was short-lived as Djokovic again responded emphatically, breaking back immediately to wrap up victory.

“I wish I had Learner Tien’s age – when you come to the late 30s, it’s about learning how to preserve the energy for what matters,” Djokovic said.

“I still have the flair, I still have the drive, and you guys give me the energy. Hopefully I can keep it going,” he told the crowd.

He will face US qualifier Zachary Svajda, 22, in the second round.

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev’s turbulent relationship with the US Open took another dramatic turn on Aug 24 as the 2021 champion was shown the door by France’s Benjamin Bonzi at the end of a chaotic first-round encounter which ended 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 0-6, 6-4.

Medvedev brought the match to a standstill for about six minutes while staring down match point in the third set, disputing an officiating decision after a photographer had interrupted Bonzi’s serve by stepping onto the court surface.

Chair umpire Greg Allensworth’s decision to give Bonzi a first serve instead of a second after the interruption sparked Medvedev’s fury.

“I wasn’t upset with the photographer,” the 29-year-old told a press conference. “I was upset with the decision.

“Every time there’s a sound from the stands between serves, there’s never a second serve. But the umpire gave him a first serve. That’s what made me angry.”

As boos erupted from the night-session crowd, Medvedev embraced the chaos, rallying fans into a frenzy in a scene he later described as “fun to witness”.

“I thought I’m losing the match,” he said. “I didn’t break him once. So I said, okay, it’s second serve, but they gave him a first. I got emotional.

“Honestly, while living it, I was like, you know what, it could be fun maybe to finish my career with one match at the US Open.”

“I love New York,” he added. “They did the work. I didn’t do anything. The crowd pushed me to come back into the match.”

But Bonzi, also 29, said he felt Medvedev’s behaviour had crossed the line. “Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire. He went with the crowd crazy. He went with them. Honestly, I never saw that,” he told reporters.

“The rule is the rule. The guy went on the court between two serves. It’s not my call to say first serve... I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions.”

The defeat caps a terrible year at the majors for Medvedev, who ends 2025 with just one win across the four Grand Slams.

“I’m playing bad, and in important moments, even worse,” he said. “Serve, return, volley – everything.” AFP, REUTERS