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Novak Djokovic's debut at the US Open, at least considering the only two sets in which Holger Rune was able to compete to his full potential, turned out to be more complicated than expected and went through ups and downs.
The Serbian champion started his New York expedition well and dominated the first half of the game without too many worries, which ended with a score of 6-1. The first "problems" came in the second set, when Djokovic appeared rather foul and lowered his service performance.
What was surprising was not so much the false start but the break suffered by the Belgrade player after recovering the disadvantage and, even more, the trend of the tie-break. The stakes are high and the pressure could really become a factor.
Stefan Edberg spoke about Djokovic's possible Grand Slam and the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in an exclusive interview with Corriere dello Sport. "Novak Djokovic has proven to be one of the greatest in tennis history: unique and special for those of his generation, along with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
The Serbian has the chance to become the tennis player with the most Grand Slam title, given the physical problems of Roger and Rafa. He is certainly the favorite to win the US Open and the Grand Slam, given the absence of his two historical rivals, but he will have to contend with very talented young people.
I think above all of Alexander Zverev who has already beaten him recently and also clearly. It won't be easy for Nole. Federer and Nadal, along with him, dominated for a long time. Of course, both Roger and Rafa have major physical problems."
Corretja talks about Roger Federer
Former world number two Alex Corretja – an analyst and commentator for Eurosport – thinks the Swiss legend’s “intensity and ball speed is still higher than the others.
“I think Roger Federer wants to make the most of his remaining tennis. He doesn’t want to retire through the back door, he wants to do it by playing. [He is] too good to retreat through the back door,” the Spaniard told Marca.
“If it (his knee) is operated, it is because it looks competitive. At Wimbledon, at 50 percent, he reaches the quarter-finals. You may think that if you are okay, you still have a chance of winning there. His intensity and ball speed is still higher than the others.
I think that the three of the ‘Big Three’ feel that they depend more on them than on the others, although they know that [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and [Alexander] Zverev hold their rhythm for three and four hours. Two years ago that was impossible”.