US Open: Djokovic Advances to Third Round for 19th Time Despite Not Being at His Best

During the US Open second round, Djokovic once again triumphed on the court—he overcame American qualifier Zachary Svajda with a score of 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, reaching the third round for the 19th time and maintaining his unbeaten streak in the tournament’s second round.

In this 2-hour and 35-minute contest, Djokovic was not playing at full capacity. The first set was of low quality as he committed 14 unforced errors; in the third set, he fell behind 1-3 and lost a service game due to a double fault. After the match, he candidly admitted:

“Honestly, my performance today wasn’t great. In the first half of the match, I wasn’t satisfied with how I played, but credit must be given to Zachary for hitting some high-quality shots.”

However, the 38-year-old leveraged his vast experience to adjust quickly, increasing his intensity. He also benefited from his opponent’s physical decline—Svajda, hampered by a leg injury, had his first serve speed drop below 90 mph throughout the third and fourth sets. Although he finished the match, his performance was affected. Djokovic praised him, saying, “It’s unfortunate he was affected by injury towards the end of the second set, but applause is due for his perseverance on court.”

Notably, this victory marked a new milestone for Djokovic: it was his 75th time reaching the third round of a Grand Slam, surpassing Roger Federer’s record of 74 and making him the all-time leader. Currently, he is pursuing his 25th Grand Slam title. In the next round, he will face the winner between Cameron Norrie and Francisco Cerundolo.

Regarding his recent form, Djokovic acknowledged changes in his physical condition: “In recent years, things have been different; my body tires much faster than before. I have to do a lot of recovery work off the court to try to maintain my highest level for longer periods during matches.”

In fact, this is not the first time this season that he has experienced fluctuations in form—he was surprised by his poor condition even when defeating Lajovic in the first round. In the three Grand Slams he entered this year, he reached the semifinals each time but failed to advance to the final, a pattern last seen in 2017. Nevertheless, he has had highlights this season, such as winning his 100th career tour-level title in Geneva in May, a testament to his enduring career. His current season record stands at 28 wins and 9 losses.

Counting Djokovic’s Grand Slam titles: 10 Australian Opens, 3 French Opens, 7 Wimbledons, and 4 US Opens. His US Open titles are relatively fewer. Strategists have long hoped he could add one or two more US Open trophies late in his career.

From exiting in the Wimbledon semifinals to steady progress at the US Open, Djokovic has yet to find his top form, but through resilience and experience, he continues to write his own tennis legacy.

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