Novak Djokovic has admitted he is worried about his physical conditioning as he chases a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open.
The 38-year-old Serbian star overcame American teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in two hours and 25 minutes on Sunday but required a medical timeout to treat a blister on his right foot between the second and third sets.
“I started great — just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” Djokovic said after the match. “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, who has not played since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat last month, skipped the Masters tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati to focus fully on the US Open. While his performance showed flashes of trademark brilliance, signs of rust and fatigue were also evident.
The Serbian powered through the first set 6-1, but a sluggish second set allowed Tien, 19, to stay in the contest. The teenager missed a chance to break for 6-5, and Djokovic steadied to take the set in a tie-break.
After his medical timeout, Djokovic surged to a 5-1 lead in the third set. Tien saved a match point and broke back for 5-2, but Djokovic immediately broke again to seal victory.
Reflecting on his performance, Djokovic joked about his age: “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. I still have the flair, I still have the drive, and you guys give me the energy. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Djokovic will face American qualifier Zachary Svajda in the second round.
