Novak Djokovic improved to 19-0 in the first round of the US Open, battling through some leg troubles to beat Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Sunday night.
Djokovic had his hands on his knees multiple times in the second set and received treatment on his right big toe after it. But after having his serve broken in the first game of the third set, he won the next five games to regain control.
It was the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s first match since Wimbledon and one that made it tough to tell if the 38-year-old remains a contender to win a fifth title in Flushing Meadows. He rolled through the first set in just 24 minutes, then looked weary in a second set that took nearly an hour longer.
The No. 7-seeded Djokovic has made a career of wearing down his opponents, but he looked like the one who was feeling it physically in the second set against an opponent who was half his age.
“To be quite honest with you, I wish I had Learner Tien’s age, but that’s not possible,” Djokovic said in his postmatch interview.
His face reddened and he was huffing and puffing so much by the time the tiebreaker arrived that he received his second time violation of the match during it, costing him a first serve.
Tien won the point on Djokovic’s second serve to tie it at 3-all, before Djokovic won the next four points.
He was then visited by the trainer at his seat. Djokovic’s lower left leg appeared to be bothering him late in the set, but he received treatment for his right foot during the medical timeout.
Djokovic felt better in the third set, pulling away for his 75th consecutive first-round win at a Grand Slam tournament.
