[ad_1]
Novak Djokovic’s bid for a 21st major singles title and the first grand slam of the calendar year in men’s tennis in more than half a century began on Tuesday night with a four-set victory over the Teenager. Danish Holger Rune.
On the court for the first time since missing the Olympic podium with back-to-back defeats in Tokyo almost a month ago, the world’s best player and number one seed in the men’s table battled wobbly form, an opponent overflowing with confidence and an uncompromising crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to win 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-1 in 2:15 and move within six wins from the the rarest achievement of his sport.
There was no indication of ring rust early on as Djokovic rushed to the first set in 26 minutes. But Rune, 18, a prominent former junior who entered Tuesday’s game in a rich vein of form that included back-to-back titles on the Minor League Challenger Tour and a run through the tournament’s qualifying tournament. US Open last week. , quickly won the love of a crowd close to capacity hoping for a competitive game with his free style and spirited demeanor.
After Rune broke the love in the second game of the second set and tied the game in a tiebreaker, the crowd was unmistakably behind the charismatic underdog as he hung out with Djokovic in muscular grassroots rallies all over the place. punctuating each big point with lively calls for more applause and one fiery punch after another. Djokovic later admitted that he had mistaken the vigorous chants of “Ruuuuune” that cascaded from the mezzanine between the dots for something more provocative. “I didn’t know what they were singing honestly,” he said. “I thought they were booing. It was not an ideal atmosphere for me. But I’ve been in these particular atmospheres before, so I knew how to handle it.
The seeded Serbian was quick to turn the boat around in the third, winning 13 of the first 15 points on his serve and raising his first serve percentage to 75% from 49% in the second. But shortly after shattering Rune for a 3-1 lead, the youngster summoned a coach during a change while grabbing his left leg. He bravely stepped forward in extraordinary physical discomfort, but from there the result was just a formality. Djokovic did a quick job on his cramp foil, passing the last two sets in under an hour and found himself in the second round with Tallon Griekspoor, a 25-year-old Dutchman ranked 121st in the world.
“Unfortunately my fitness let me down,” Rune said. “I started having cramps from the start of the third set. From there it was hard. I knew if I was to win I really had to fight for every point. With my body at this point, it was impossible. I’m not saying if I was 100% physically I would beat him for sure, but I would definitely have a chance.
The result saw the top-ranked Djokovic score 22 perfect wins in 22 major tournament games this year, bringing him one step closer to becoming the first male player to win all four of the sport’s grassroots tournaments over the course of the same calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969. If the 34-year-old Djokovic lifted the trophy in 12 days, he would also break a three-way tie at the top of the men’s grand slam standings with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are not present That day. year.
Yet much of the chatter as Djokovic carries on the home stretch of history will inevitably turn after Tuesday to his complex relationship with the New York crowd, an ox that dates back more than a decade to a time when he struggled with a reputation as a player that melted under pressure and at times abused the medical time-out rule.
In 2008, Djokovic didn’t take it kindly when Andy Roddick sardonically made a list of illnesses at a press conference ahead of their third round match, suggesting “bird flu”, “anthrax” and “Sars” as potential future excuses to be made by the Serbian. After humiliating the top-ranked American in a game in which his service faults and mistakes were applauded, Djokovic stung the crowd during an interview on the pitch until a handful of boos ensued. turns into cacophony. The frosty relationship never completely thawed, even after winning the tournament in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
That may well change over the next fortnight as the enormity of the accomplishment at stake emerges more clearly, but the atonal tenor of Tuesday’s opening foray is little guarantee.
“Obviously you always want to have the crowd behind you, but that’s not always possible,” said Djokovic, who hasn’t lost in the first round of a major since the 2006 Australian Open, while ‘he was 18. “That’s all I can say. I mean, I don’t know. I focused on myself and what to do. I guess I just have to see how it feels on the pitch. and try to stay the course, that’s all I can do.
A former US Open champion then gave way to another on Ashe as sixth seed Bianca Andreescu, who won the season-ending Grand Slam on her main draw debut two years ago. only to withdraw from last year’s tournament due to injury, crushed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in a 2 hour 49 minute marathon that took took place on Wednesday morning.
The 20-year-old Canadian was visited by the coach due to stomach issues in the second set and trailed 2-4 in the third to shatter Golubic in each of her last three service games, winning 12 of 15 points on it. opponent’s racket. When Golubic misplaced a forehand on the match point at 12:45 a.m. Andreescu let out a deafening cry as she fell back behind the baseline in celebration.
“She gave me no choice,” said Andreescu, who hit nearly three times as many winners (40) as her opponent (15) on the night and will face American Lauren Davis in the second round. “I had to dig deep, I had to fight, I had to bring back that old Bianca in a way, something that I really didn’t have to do this year.”
Andreescu’s after-hours victory, in addition to improving his lifetime tournament record to 8-0, brought the curtain down on a first round at Flushing Meadows which saw the sport’s biggest names almost dodge entirely the first traps. All of the top 20 seeds in the women’s singles qualified for the round of 16, while only No.9 Pablo Carreño Busta, No.14 Alex de Minaur and No.20 Lorenzo Sonego tripped in the men’s.
Source link
