Djokovic's first win at the US Open raises more questions than answers

The former world No.1 faced multiple worries about his stamina, physical health, and competitive form in his first-round victory over Ben Shelton

He managed to advance with difficulty but still has significant improvements to make.

This is essentially Novak Djokovic’s summary from his first-round match at the US Open on Sunday. He won a tough match against the young American Ben Shelton by 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2, marking his first tournament in more than six weeks.

During the match, Djokovic showed poor footwork and balance; even in relatively mild conditions, his body appeared strained. He committed 20 unforced errors just in the second set, leaving noticeable flaws in his technical statistics.

However, in the middle of the second set, he resisted Shelton’s first strong offensive surge, successfully taking that set and gaining a 2-0 lead overall, laying the foundation for his eventual victory.

“This match was a bit strange. The first set lasted just over 20 minutes, while the second set took 1 hour and 20 minutes — completely different paces. For me, the key was staying calm in the second set and winning it in the tiebreak.”

“After that, I felt much better. I could always play better, but starting this year’s US Open like this is a decent beginning.”

In the opening game, Djokovic served two aces and only made four unforced errors. He quickly overwhelmed a somewhat nervous Ben Shelton in just 24 minutes to take the first set. But from the second set onward, the situation became much more complicated.

Ben Shelton is currently ranked 50th in the ATP rankings and has already defeated four top-10 players in 2025. He failed to perform at his best this time and missed the chance to capitalize on Djokovic’s poor form, which he will likely regret. Had he converted the set point in Djokovic’s service game at 10th game of the second set to level the match, Djokovic’s path to the title, already hindered by physical issues, would have become much tougher.

Djokovic said:

“Well, I started well, but during the second set, after several long games, I began to feel... my poor physical condition surprised even me. Fortunately, I have two days of rest ahead. The current state is indeed concerning, but I’m not injured — it’s just hard to maintain my level during long rallies and recover after scoring.”

This is Djokovic’s first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals. Early in the match, he frequently looked to his coaching box for technical advice. Earlier in the second set, he slipped while trying to reach a sharply angled serve from Shelton, apparently tripping over his own foot.

However, Shelton committed a total of 25 unforced errors in the first two sets (including 5 double faults), which significantly reduced his chances of winning.

Earlier this season at the Australian Open second round, Shelton defeated Daniil Medvedev in five sets. But on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which can hold 23,000 spectators, facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion, he seemed a bit nervous in his first-ever night match of his career.

After the second set, Djokovic called for the tournament physiotherapist to re-tape his bleeding right big toe.

Earlier in the match, he appeared to be troubled by hip discomfort and frequently raised his racquet behind his head, possibly to take deeper breaths.

Djokovic’s biggest issue in the match was his fitness. After several longer rallies against Shelton, he experienced shortness of breath, which challenges his usual baseline endurance advantage. With age, it takes longer to recover after extended points. So this problem remains unresolved.

Additionally, flexibility and agility tend to decline with age, increasing the risk of injury.

From the first-round match, Djokovic’s competitive form seemed decent, around 70%. He executed a fast, long cross-court forehand winner, played precise short backhands, net approaches, and high lobs to the baseline. Remarkably, he made no errors on several difficult pressured shots.

The most important element in tennis is not speed or power but accuracy. In this regard, Djokovic still remains competitive.

Djokovic last won a Grand Slam title in 2023 when he claimed his fourth US Open championship. He will now have two days to rest before facing American qualifierZachary Svajdain the second round on Wednesday, aiming for his first Grand Slam title of the season.