Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff enjoyed comfortable wins in the first round of the US Open, while Dominic Thiem bid a final farewell to the Grand Slam where he enjoyed his greatest triumph.
Djokovic, looking to become the first player to capture 25 Grand Slam titles, capped the evening session under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot on Monday night.
Three weeks after winning the singles title at the Paris Games, Djokovic toted his rackets and gear in a pair of gold-coloured bags onto the court where the crowd gave him a hero’s welcome.
But the Serb’s golden touch was decidedly lacking in the late-night match as he struggled with serve and racked up nearly twice as many unforced errors as winners.
For all that, he had more than enough weapons to handle Moldovan Albot in their first tour clash and claim a record 78th win at Arthur Ashe under a closed roof.
“I was not aware of it, to be honest with you,” Djokovic said of the centre court milestone.
“It’s definitely the loudest stadium we have in the history of our sport. The night sessions are the best in the world here.”
“Well, I don’t think that ageing helps really staying so late and playing very late,” the 37-year-old told reporters after the match.
“I can feel, you know, my batteries are low now. I’m shutting down.
“You just have to accept it, I guess … I like playing night matches, but I love to start first.
“So hopefully I get more chances to play at night and am scheduled first so we can start at a more decent time and finish at a more decent time.
“I guess, for the fans, there is something special about late-night finishes, particularly post-midnight. For us, I don’t know. It’s not really what you want but if you get a W [win], then it’s all good.”
In the twilight of a record-smashing career, Djokovic is eyeing several milestones in New York, including a fifth title at Flushing Meadows to match the professional era record held by Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
He also hopes to become the first back-to-back winner in the men’s singles since Federer’s run of five successive titles from 2004 to 2008.
Source: Aljazeera
