Djokovic starts Open defence with ragged win

Novak Djokovic threw down eight aces but also produced 10 double-faults and 40 unforced errors on Monday as the defending champion got stuck into his opening match at the US Open. 

The 37-year-old Serb who capped a career dream by winning Paris Olympic gold put on a patchy display to defeat veteran qualifier Radu Albot 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round.

Djokovic didn’t bother with any preliminary play on hardcourts, indicating that he was overwhelmed with his Games success.

The winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles has won the trophy four times here.

As he shook out the rust in his game, Djokovic still schooled his 138th-ranked opponent, winning an 89th match at the event, putting him  level with Roger Federer for the second-best in history..

Albot dropped to 0-12 against Top 10 opponents as he went down to defeat against the second seed.

Djokovic broke twice in both of the opening sets and added a fifth in the third set before closing out the evening on his second match point in just over two hours.

“It was a solid start.. I struggled with my serve and the rhythm on certain shots.

“It’s always challenging to start, particularly when you haven’t played on this surface for five, six months and coming off an Olympic gold and playing on clay. 

“I haven’t had any official matches before US Open. So I’m expecting to be probably challenged a little bit more in the opening rounds.”

He added: “Hopefully I can play better each day. You have a day between matches where you can train, where you can really work on things and perfect your game.”  

Main photo:-US Open 2023 Novak Djokovic (SRB) won Men’s singles final , his 24th Grand Slam singles title equalling Margaret Court by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd