Novak Djokovic made a name for himself as a legendary champion a long time ago.
Long ago, Novak Djokovic established himself as a legendary champion.
The rarest of breeds, though, was the 36-year-old Serb who played on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court Monday night to close out the opening day of the U.S. Open.
is a multi-generational champion aiming to increase his record of victories.
Additionally, he is acting in the People’s Choice role for the first time in Queens.
There probably isn’t a better parallel across the spectrum of professional sports, therefore this isn’t a precise analogy. Djokovic’s transition from his rivalry with current Big Three members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal to his current, exciting matchup with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is akin to Jack Nicklaus’ transition from succeeding Arnold Palmer to facing Tiger Woods.
What’s this? The 58-year-old Golden Bear tied for sixth place in the 1998 Masters at Augusta. He finished ahead of Woods, 22, by two shots.
Without a doubt, that was amazing. But that was a singular incident. It represented Nicklaus’ best success to yet.
In just 96 minutes, Novak Djokovic overcame Alexandre Muller at the US Open.
At the US Open, Novak Djokovic’s quest for a 24th Grand Slam victory got off to a smooth start as he defeated Alexandre Muller in only 96 minutes. The Serb won his first eight matches in a row to claim the triumph with a score of 6-0 6-2 6-3. Djokovic will next play unseeded Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Djokovic, in his own words, “had the answer for every shot he had in his book”.
Novak Djokovic easily defeated Alexandre Muller in the first round of the US Open thanks to a “lights-out” performance.
The world No. 2 got off to a fast start in New York, defeating his French opponent in just 96 minutes with scores of 6-0, 6-2, and 6-3.
Djokovic, who earlier this year won the Australian and French Open championships, had his hopes of completing the Calendar Slam crushed when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. However, he didn’t seem to be thinking about that defeat as he faced Muller.
Since Rafa Nadal, who hasn’t competed since the Australian Open and is recovering from hip surgery, and Roger Federer, who retired last year, are both more well-known in this region than Djokovic, despite the fact that Djokovic was a member of the tour’s Holy Trinity.
The Big Three did not have time to wait.
However, Djokovic managed to halt the clock.
Since turning 32, he has won six Grand Slam events, including this year’s French Open, where he defeated Alcaraz in the semifinals. He would tie for 22nd all-time in the majors with only that accomplishment. In the previous nine major tournaments he has participated in over the past three years, he has reached the final of eight of them.
And now that Alcaraz is on the other side of the draw, he is aiming for No. 24. The tennis community has been waiting for this final battle for years, just as they have for Federer-Nadal, Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe-Jimmy Connors in the years prior.
There is always a new generation in professional sports to pique interest.
In tennis, Djokovic serves as a bridge between generations and forges an enthralling rivalry with defending Open champion Alcaraz, who triumphed at that event a year ago when the Serb was barred from competing for failing to comply with COVID-19 vaccine regulations.
Next Gen vs. the Gen? Alcaraz came back to defeat his rival in a thrilling five-set match in the Wimbledon final after Djokovic defeated him in the Roland Garros final despite Alcaraz’s cramps. These two matches came before a memorable one that Djokovic won a week earlier in Cincinnati’s oppressive heat by saving a match point.
A Djokovic-Alcaraz championship game is not a certain. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, the top two American players in the men’s draw, each sailed to commanding straight-set victory on Monday. Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev is lurking, just as he did in 2021 when he was a participant in the other half of Djokovic’s most miserable day ever.
On that day, Djokovic was also accepted as a native son of New York.
The Serb entered the 2021 Open final with the chance to become the first man to win the calendar Grand Slam since the legendary Rod Laver did so in 1969.
But Medvedev wrecked the Patriots’ undefeated season on that Sunday evening in September 12, just as the Giants did for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The crowd seems to be split slightly. Djokovic was still viewed as an encroachment. His pursuit of history was rejected.
Djokovic was thoroughly beaten by the Russian in the first two sets, 6-4, 6-4. He was broken for the first time in the third set when he served for the victory at 5-2. The crowd also gave the Serb a salute in addition to stirring. Allegiances started to change. The ruckus started when Djokovic held for four to five minutes and sat in his chair with his head bent.
“It was a great joy to be stepping out on the court,” said Djokovic, who was unable to compete in the United States last year due to a lack of Covid-19 vaccination.
I think the performance, particularly the first two sets, adequately conveys how I felt tonight”. Really, it was kind of lights-out tennis with a near-perfect opening set.I most likely know the response to every shot he used in his book. Overall, I’m quite happy with how I feel and how I’m playing.
“I’m hoping I can keep up that pace. Even though the competition has only just begun, I already enjoy the tennis level.
The outcome guarantees that Djokovic will replace Alcaraz as the world’s top dog following the competition.
Djokovic got off to a good start in the opening round with an early break. The Serb then added two more breaks and two straightforward holdings before serving out the set in under 25 minutes.
At the start of the second set, an unflappable Djokovic broke once more on his third break point of the match, followed by another easy hold as Muller feared being overpowered by his legendary rival.
The Arthur Ashe crowd rose to their feet in support of the world no. 76 as he finally connected with the opponent with a love hold.
This turned out to be only a temporary reprieve, as Muller was broken again for 1-4 before breaking back and winning the point after a spectacular ‘tweener’ to add to his own highlight reel. This may have given the three-time winner in New York plenty to think about.
However, Djokovic immediately broke even before finishing the set by serving.
Muller had three straight love holds as the third set was played on serve till 3-3, showing signs that he had re-entered the game.
The writing was then on the wall as Djokovic cranked it up, breaking in the very next game before a final, decisive break to secure the championship.
Following the Spaniard’s 6-4 6-4 6-3 victory over Ethan Quinn, the Serb, who is chasing for a record-tying 24th grand slam singles trophy, will play unseeded Bernabe Zapata Miralles in round two.
In other matches, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and Casper Ruud defeated Emilio Nava 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).
Taylor Fritz defeated Steve Johnson 6-2 6-1 6-2, and Frances Tiafoe advanced to round two after defeating Learner Tien 6-2 7-5 6-1.
However, there was some surprise as Mackenzie McDonald defeated 15th seed Felix Auger Aliassime. 7-5(5) 4-6 6-1 6-4.