Novak Djokovic’s desire still burns as he chases more US Open glory

Faced with the vibrancy of youth, Novak Djokovic still remained unbeaten through the first two rounds of the U.S. Open in his career. 

Recovering from a first-set loss in which his opponent, American Zachary Svajda, flexed his agility and persistence, Djokovic took the next three to secure the victory 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon and move on to the third round for a 19th straight time. 

The win pushed Djokovic into a tie with Roger Federer for the second-most wins in hard-court Grand Slams at 191, trailing only Serena Williams’ 200. 

He will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Round 3 on Friday. 

“I still have desire to compete with the young guys,” said Djokovic, who showcased his trademark violin celebration after the 2-hour, 31-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here playing.”

While the final score may indicate otherwise, Svajda showed that he could hang with the No. 7-seeded Serbian. 

The 22-year-old, who was making his Arthur Ashe debut, pushed Djokovic to a tiebreaker in the first set. After trading off several points, Svajda went up 5-4 after a long rally before emerging with a one-set lead. 

Svajda later appeared to be physically limited in the second half of the match, during which he called for the trainer multiple times.

The dip in his power and ability to lengthen rallies was evident. 

“I wasn’t really happy with my tennis in the first part of the match,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “That’s also a credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis. It’s unfortunate that he obviously struggled with an injury toward the end of the second. Kudos to him for staying on the court.”

Djokovic steadily found his groove, however, to play a much tighter final three sets. 

Despite laboring a bit earlier in the match after he dealt with a toe blister in his first-round victory, Djokovic was broken to fall behind 3-1 in the third set. He then won the next eight straight games, including a 3-0 burst to start the fourth set, which ultimately lasted just 26 minutes. 

In addition to racking up 10 aces through the match, Djokovic produced 48 winners to Svajda’s 39. 

Competition still drives Djokovic, even if it doesn’t look like the 38-year-old is enjoying himself as much as he used to. 

Asked if he feels like he still has something to prove despite winning 24 Grand Slams, the only man to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam was philosophical in his answer. 

“There is always something to prove once you step out onto the court, which is you’re still able to win a tennis match,” he said. “I think it is just a question of perspective. Obviously, in the larger perspective of understanding of what I have been through and what I have achieved in the many years that I have played on the tour, one can always think that there is nothing more to achieve or to prove because you’ve done it all, but it’s quite relative. It’s quite individual the way you see it.

“But, in a short-term type of mindset and perspective, it’s really about trying to make the most out of that day and win a tennis match, find a way to win. So, that’s what I’ve done today. I mean, I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but, you know, you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way.”