Novak Djokovic delivered a lesson in Grand Slam tenacity to Learner Tien in the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday 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 semi-finals last month, and swapping the whites for a sleek all-black outfit, the 38-year-old Serb fought through physical issues 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.
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“It was a strange kind of match,” said Djokovic, who looked to be struggling with 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 tiebreak.
“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 tiebreak.
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 and the four-times New York champion never looked back from there, booking a match-up with American Zachary Svajda.
