After his first match performed on the 2024 US Open towards Radu Albot, Novak Djokovic had stated that he most popular to play within the day session relatively than the evening session. The organizers of the final Grand Slam of the season didn’t fulfill the previous number one on this planet, which was scheduled because the final match of the day on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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The 24-time Grand Slam champion will face his compatriot Laslo Djere, who final yr had introduced him to the fifth set solely to surrender after a really exhausting battle. Novak will need to repeat the errors of 2023 and attempt to begin the match higher than final yr, when he was two units down attributable to numerous unforced errors.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade is without doubt one of the important favorites for the win in New York, the place he hopes to win the twenty fifth Slam of his superb profession. Novak has not but gained a Main in 2024 and suffered a transparent defeat towards Carlos Alcaraz within the closing of the Wimbledon Championships, the place he by no means managed to place his opponent in problem additionally due to his poor bodily situation (The Serbian had undergone knee surgical procedure a number of weeks earlier). Djokovic has shocked the world so many instances and remains to be hungry, however it won’t be straightforward for him to win this version of the US Open.
Djokovic will begin favourite towards Djere
Novak Djokovic will begin favourite towards his compatriot Laslo Djere tonight, however he should be cautious of a really harmful opponent on this floor.
Talking with Sportklub earlier than the match, Djere opened up on dealing with Nole in New York: “There’s not a lot to say. I’ll be bodily prepared, hopefully the arm will likely be wonderful. Everyone knows who Novak is and what he has achieved in tennis. The numbers are on his aspect – not simply towards me, however towards anybody. Final time I performed properly and was in fine condition, I performed very properly towards Novak. After all, your possibilities should not nice when he’s on the opposite aspect of the online, however I’m satisfied that this sport could be very unusual.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not had a straightforward path to the US Open, however he averted Carlos Alcaraz (who ended up within the draw cut up headed by Jannik Sinner). The Serbian legend may use the primary week to select up the tempo and categorical her greatest tennis within the decisive rounds.
Throughout an interview with Eurosport, Novak mirrored on his present standing: “I hope to by no means recuperate from that (profitable the Olympics), as a result of it’s the perfect set of emotions that I ever had as an athlete. On the court docket but in addition off, once we went again to have fun with our folks, the entire Serbian Olympians that managed to win a medal. It was a really distinctive second for me.
I’ll always remember it and I’ll attempt to use it as an awesome confidence enhance for what’s developing in New York within the subsequent few weeks. I haven’t had a lot time to recuperate or a lot time to coach. I attempted to get essentially the most out of the few weeks that I had. I had extra time than all the opposite guys that performed the tournaments, however that was a acutely aware choice that I made to not have any lead-up tournaments to the US Open as a result of I simply felt that the calendar is just too congested this yr with the Olympics. I wanted my break, quick however candy, celebration, household high quality time after which in fact I began my coaching and attempting to construct my physique, construct my kind for the beginning of the event.”
Nole is targeted on the objective
The previous world number one seemed to be in disaster early within the season and his motivation was very low, however the ambiance of the Olympics allowed him to return to a really excessive stage. The 37-year-old from Belgrade stated he wish to proceed taking part in on the high stage for a number of extra years, maybe till the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“Younger gamers are hungry and decided to point out their greatest tennis towards me, which supplies me additional motivation, awakens a sort of beast in me. For example, shedding the Wimbledon 2023 closing towards Alcaraz harm me rather a lot. I think about the Spaniard essentially the most full tennis participant I’ve seen in a very long time. That defeat angered me a lot that I discovered the required vitality to then win in Cincinnati and the US Open. Having a majority of these rivals is a superb alternative to proceed reinventing myself and making an effort day-after-day” – Nole defined in the course of the present ’60 Minutes’.
