Djokovic reflects on opening win and praises Thiem

Novak Djokovic was pleased with his start to the US Open on Monday, but knows there is room for improvement. The reigning champion played his first hardcourt match since March in Indian Wells, but looked comfortable in New York en route to a straight-sets victory over Radu Albot.

“I think it was a solid start,” Djokovic said. “I was struggling with my serve and the rhythm on certain shots. Overall, I thought I played pretty well from the back of the court. It’s always a challenge to start, especially when you haven’t played on this surface for five, six months and you’ve just won an Olympic gold medal and you’ve played on clay. I haven’t played any official matches before (the) US Open. So I expect that in the opening rounds I’ll probably be challenged a little bit more.

“Hopefully I can play better every day. The great thing about Slams is you have a day between matches where you can practice, where you can really work on things and perfect your game. That’s what I need. That’s what I think I need. So I’m going to go out on the practice courts (Tuesday) and work on things that didn’t really work during the match and keep striving to get better.”

(ATP APP)

The Serb underwent knee surgery after Roland Garros in June but returned in time to reach the Wimbledon final before winning Olympic singles gold at the Paris Olympics. The 37-year-old, who is chasing a record-extending 25th major, confirmed he feels physically strong.

“The knee is actually fine,” Djokovic said. “I had no problems during the whole Olympic tournament and here in the first round.”

On a busy Day 1 in New York, former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Dominic Thiem played the last major match of his career. The Austrian, who won the US Open in 2020, enjoyed an exciting Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with the Serbian.

“I want to congratulate him on a great Grand Slam career,” said Djokovic, who leads Thiem 7-5 in the duo’s ATP Head2Head series. “Just one of the nicest guys on Tour in many years. He’s respected. He’s admired. He’s loved by his colleagues, by colleagues, by everyone on Tour.

“He’s put in so much work over the years and I think he’s been a great example to a lot of players who see what goes on, let’s say, behind the scenes. He always puts in the extra work and the tenacity and intensity that he brings to everything he does on and off the field is really remarkable.”

Seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Djokovic will play Laslo Djere in the second round in New York on Wednesday.

(NEWSLETTER FORM)