The Serbian legend did not impress in the first two rounds of the 2024 US Open
Novak Djokovic did not impress in the first two rounds of the 2024 US Open. The former world number 1 has not lost any sets up to this point in the tournament, but he didn’t seem 100% fit and he himself admitted that he needed more time to express his best tennis.
The Serbian champion did not play a tournament on the hard court since the Indian Wells Masters 1000 in spring, having decided to skip the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters 1000 after his triumph at the Paris Olympics. The 24-time Grand Slam champion knew he needed a break after the hard work of the last two months, when he also had to undergo knee surgery.
After defeating Radu Albot and Laslo Djere, Nole will face Alexei Popryin for a place in the round of 16. The 37-year-old from Belgrade will have to pay close attention to the Australian ace, who possesses dangerous weapons on this surface and is much more fearsome than the first two opponents faced by Novak in New York.
Popryin is playing the best tennis of his career and recently won the first Masters 1000 of his career in Montreal. The Australian will play with nothing to lose and has already shown that he can dominate the world number 2 this year at the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships.
Nole could risk today
Djokovic will have to serve and play better if he wants to avoid trouble in the third round of the US Open. The Serbian legend is aware that his current level is not enough to get far in this tournament and he intends to practice hard to reach 100% of his condition. Nole has set another impressive record in NY after winning the second round against compatriot Laslo Djere.
The Serbian champion is the first player in history to win 90 matches in all Grand Slam tournaments: a threshold reached also in New York, which was the missing competition. In fact, Nole already boasts 94 wins at the Australian Open (with 10 triumphs), 96 at Roland Garros in Paris (3 titles won) and even 97 at Wimbledon (the main cup has raised it 7 times).
The number of victories corresponding to the event in Flushing Meadows will be further increased in these days by the number 2 in the world, which has all the intention to want to defend fully the status of champion in office (No tennis player has done it since 2008, after the 5 consecutive triumphs of Roger Federer). Novak will certainly fight to find the 25th Slam of her career and the first title of a very difficult season, in which she has however achieved the goal placed at the top of the list (the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris).
Djokovic will face the Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round, who has already faced him at Wimbledon on grass: “He’s improved a lot, is a great tennis player and has just won his first Master 1000. He always had a good service and an excellent right, now he has improved also on the backhand and in the defensive phase. I know I have a great match to look forward to, I will review our previous challenges and try to better understand what I need to do,” he said in the press conference about the next opponent.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a stomach issue during his last match against Djere on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium: “I had stomach issues for most of the first two sets, and that was reflected in how I recovered after points. I was sweating a lot, finding it hard to breathe.”
Popyrin thinks he can win
Interviewed on the eve of the highly anticipated challenge, Popyrin said he strongly believes he can beat the legend of Belgrade: “I truly believe I could have won that match if I had taken the third set in the Australian Open. I felt like I was in the driver’s seat, very comfortable there, enjoyed every moment. Djokovic is a very solid player, but I feel like he gives you opportunities from time to time in the points.
I think he played particularly well at Wimbledon. I didn’t have many break chances and Novak mixed his serves very well. So, I didn’t feel as comfortable as in Australia. I think that was probably the closest and that’s the one that hurt me the most. Then I felt disappointed because I felt like I was in the match and could have had my chances to win there.
What I’ve learned from those two matches is simply that I can compete with him. He’s the best of all time and one of the best players in the world right now, but I can go toe to toe with him, and only in the important points does he step up a bit, I just have to wait for that if I play with him.”
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