Novak Djokovic places US Open demons apart as late begin fails to eclipse return
Novak Djokovic “didn’t care” that his return to Arthur Ashe Stadium was delayed till the early hours of the morning as he marked his return to Flushing Meadows with a assured win over France’s Alexandre Muller. Djokovic has had a love-hate relationship with the US Open lately, courting again to 2020 when he was thrown out of the event after unintentionally hitting a line choose with a ball.
The following yr noticed Djokovic’s bid for a Calendar Slam stopped by Daniil Medvedev in emphatic trend. And the Serbian tennis icon was unable to get his revenge in 2022 on account of his vaccination standing.
Djokovic now has a fourth US Open title in his sights for this yr’s event and he received off to a flying begin towards Muller. The 36-year-old barely broke a sweat to bagel his opponent within the opening set earlier than wrapping issues up in a little bit over an hour and a half.
He was made to attend for his return to the Arthur Ashe Stadium because the US Open schedule noticed Djokovic’s match begin simply earlier than midnight. But the 23-time Grand Slam champion had no points with the late begin as he was simply completely satisfied to be again taking part in within the US Open.
“Well, I knew it was going to be a late night for me, late start of the match,” he stated in his press convention. “Nevertheless, I mean, I was excited to go out on the court. I didn’t care if I started after midnight because I was looking forward to this moment for few years, to be out on the biggest stadium in our sport, the loudest stadium in our sport, playing night session.
“Tonight was a particular evening, they’d a ceremony. It took longer than I’d in all probability have wished. As I stated, it was an awesome pleasure to be stepping out on the court docket.
“I think the performance explains how I felt tonight, particularly in the first two sets. It was kind of lights-out tennis really, almost flawless, perfect first set. I’ve probably had the answer for every shot he had in his book. Overall I’m very, very pleased with the way I feel, with the way I’m playing.
“Hopefully I can keep that stage. It’s only the start of the event, however I already like the extent of tennis.”
Late matches into the early hours of the morning at majors have been an issue for players this year but Djokovic feels it is better suited at the American slam. He added: “They do not care in the event that they keep up very late, submit midnight, as a result of they get excited.
“I love it. It’s great because every Grand Slam has its own charm in a way. Comparing to, for example, Wimbledon, it’s a complete contrast. In Wimbledon it’s different than here. Here is all about entertainment, fun, good energy, good vibes. If you can feed on that, you’ll have a lot of fun.”