Everyone ought to know by now to by no means depend out Novak Djokovic. No matter how huge a deficit he faces. No matter how poorly he may be enjoying.
And so it made sense that Djokovic would handle to return all the best way again from a two-set deficit to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 within the third spherical of the U.S. Open, avoiding what would have been his earliest exit there since 2006.
“Trust me,” Djokovic mentioned, “it was nerve-racking all the way until the last shot.”
The match started beneath the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday evening and didn’t wrap up till greater than 3 1/2 hours later, concluding simply after 1:30 a.m.
It was Djokovic’s eighth profession victory after dropping the opening two units of a match. He additionally improved to 38-11 in five-setters over his profession.
One he seized management, he held on tight and by no means let Djere get well. In the crucible of a fifth set, Djokovic was cool as may be, amassing 12 of the preliminary 14 factors to depart little question how this could go.
Djokovic has received three of his males’s-record 23-time Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows and been the runner-up a half-dozen instances, together with in 2021. The 36-year-old from Serbia didn’t compete within the U.S. Open final yr as a result of he couldn’t journey to the United States as a foreigner who will not be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19; that rule was lifted this May.
Djokovic is seeded No. 2 in New York behind Carlos Alcaraz, and just about everybody has been anticipating the 2 of them to satisfy for the championship on Sept. 10. That could be a rematch of their riveting ultimate at Wimbledon in July, which Alcaraz received in 5 units.
That appeared as if it may be derailed by Djere, a 28-year-old who can also be from Serbia and was seeded thirty second in New York.
This would have been by far the largest victory of his profession: He was making an attempt to succeed in the fourth spherical at a Grand Slam match for the primary time and got here into Friday with an 0-6 file at majors in opposition to opponents ranked within the Top 10.
Perhaps the intimidation issue that favors Djokovic in most matchups merely wasn’t there on this cool night — no less than at the beginning. The countrymen have identified one another for years, working towards collectively, spending time as Davis Cup teammates and competing on tour as a doubles pairing.
When it ended, they met on the web for a hug.
Djokovic applauded as Djere walked off the courtroom.
“I didn’t have much options in the beginning, but in the third, I kind of lifted myself up,” Djokovic mentioned. “Once I got the break in the third, I thought, ’OK. I have a shot. I have a chance. I might as well go after it. … I started to read his game mroe than I did in the first two sets.”