Djokovic, who hasn’t won a Grand Slam title in two years, was far from his best against Learner Tien in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.
Novak Djokovic delivered a lesson in Grand Slam tenacity to Learner Tien in the first round of the US Open, as he battled past the American teenager 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 and launched his latest quest for a record 25th major title.
Competing in his first singles match since reaching the Wimbledon semifinals last month, and swapping the whites for a sleek all-black outfit, the 38-year-old Serb fought through physical issues on Sunday to secure his 80th win at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Victory also meant Djokovic became the first player since the sport turned professional in 1968 to win 75 straight opening-round matches at the Grand Slams, with 55 of those wins coming in straight sets.
“It was a strange kind of match,” said Djokovic, who looked to be struggling with an injury midway through the match.
“The first set was 20 minutes, and then the second one was one hour and 20, quite the opposite sets we played. It was key for me to hold my nerve in the second set and clinch it in a tie-break.
“After that, I started feeling better. I can always do better, but it’s a great way to start this year’s campaign.”
The seventh seed shrugged off a time violation to consolidate an early break at the start of the contest, and a heated debate with the chair umpire shortly afterwards spurred him on to wrap up the opening set in double-quick time.
The 19-year-old Tien, on a near-impossible mission to hand Djokovic his first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open, had his chances to draw level during a draining second set but crumbled in the tie-break.
After treatment for a right foot blister, Djokovic produced heavy groundstrokes from the baseline to break for a 3-1 lead in the third set. The four-time New York champion never looked back from there, booking a match-up with American Zachary Svajda.
“Good thing is that I have two days off. It’s slightly a concern. I don’t have an injury or anything. I just struggled to stay in long exchanges and recover after points,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open.
