ATP Tour

Djokovic after US Open R1 win: ‘I was surprised how bad I was feeling’

Novak Djokovic was forced to battle through some Sunday-night struggles to kick-start his 2025 US Open campaign.

The four-time champion at the New York major overcame #NextGenATP home favourite Learner Tien in straight sets inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but he was quick to admit the victory had been far less straightforward than the scoreline suggests.

“I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” said Djokovic in his post-match press conference following his 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 win. “Then some long games to start the second set, and then I started to feel really… I don't know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically.

“Yeah, 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. I'm glad that I kind of reset myself after second set. And the third set was okay to finish up the match.”

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Djokovic was competing in his first match since he also struggled physically in a straight-sets Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner six weeks ago. This time around, the 38-year-old was able to get the win, but he acknowledged he will hope to feel physical improvement in his second-round encounter on Wednesday against another American, Zachary Svajda.

“There are positives but also things that hopefully won't happen in terms of how I feel on the court physically, the way I felt in the second set,” reflected the No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Hopefully that doesn't happen, because then it makes my life on the court definitely much more challenging.

“Good thing, two days off now. But yeah, 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."

A record 24-time major titlist, Djokovic is too experienced to panic after one match back from an extended break. Indeed, he reflected on the fact that his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the 19-year-old Tien always held the potential to represent a stern test.

“There was quite a bit of tension on the court, playing a young American, night session,” said Djokovic, who is now 27-9 for the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “For me, I haven't played a match, an official match, for six weeks. I had to deliver my A-game, which I did I think in the first set. Particularly in the second, it was surviving on the court. But in the important moments I just put one ball more in the court than he did.

“I think it was also good to experience that, in a sense, kind of break the ice officially in the tournament. So you know, looking forward to the next challenge.”