Novak Djokovic 'surprised' and 'concerned' as Serb raises US Open alarm bells

Novak Djokovic has revealed that he is ‘concerned’ about his physical condition following his US Open first round victory over Learner Tien. The Serbian cruised to a 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 success in his first match since being beaten by Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

However, despite the emphatic nature of the scoreline, it was not smooth sailing for Djokovic. The 24-time major winner’s levels dropped towards the end of the contest after such an impressive start, and even he admitted that he feels that it was a cause for concern.

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Djokovic opted against competing in any warm-up events before heading to Flushing Meadows, instead training in Montenegro in the days running up to the competition. His match sharpness, therefore, may not be at its peak levels, though the 38-year-old is hoping that a few days of rest will allow him to overcome whatever problem it was which arose mid-match against Tien.

Speaking after the win, he said: “I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good. Then some long games to start the second set, and then I start to feel really...I don't know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically.

"Yeah, we had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match. There are positives but also things that hopefully won't happen in terms of how I feel on the court physically - the way I felt in the second set. Hopefully that doesn't happen, because then it makes my life on the court definitely much more challenging."

Djokovic is set to face Zachary Svajda in the second round, and he will have a few days to prepare for that contest. He continued: “Good thing, two days off now. But yeah, it's slightly a concern. I don't know. I don't have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points. It is what it is.

"But again, there was quite a bit of tension on the court, playing a young American, night session. For me, I haven't played a match, official match, six weeks. You know, I had to deliver my A-game, which I did I think in the first set.

"Particularly in the second, it was surviving on the court. But in the important moments I just put one ball more in the court than he did."