(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Novak Djokovic Battles Physical Struggles to Advance at US Open 2025
Novak Djokovic admitted to concerns about his fitness after overcoming young American star Learner Tien in the first round of the US Open 2025.
The Serbian legend, now 38 years old, secured a straight-sets victory 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2, but the scoreline didn’t tell the full story. Djokovic looked uncomfortable in the second set, which lasted a grueling 82 minutes, and required a medical timeout for treatment on blisters.
Despite taking the opener in just over 20 minutes, Djokovic began to fade during long rallies in the second set. Sweating heavily and gasping for breath, he admitted:
“I was surprised by how bad I was feeling physically in the second set. The long exchanges were tough, and I made too many unforced errors. Thankfully, I reset myself and managed to finish the match strongly.”
Djokovic saved a set point at 5-4 with a clutch ace before pulling through in the tiebreak. From there, he regained control to dominate the third set, setting up a second-round clash with American Zachary Svajda.
This was Djokovic’s first match since his Wimbledon semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner, and he was tested by the 19-year-old Tien, who is coached by former French Open champion Michael Chang.
Tien showed his growing reputation by matching Djokovic from the baseline and pushing the veteran to dig deep. However, Djokovic’s experience shone through as he extended his remarkable record to 75 consecutive first-round victories in Grand Slam tournaments, the longest streak in the Open era.
With two days of rest ahead, Djokovic remains optimistic but admits his physical condition is something to monitor as the tournament progresses./origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/08/25/image-36a8ea57-ba63-4f8a-a04d-da5778fe5a48-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
