The fans inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the night session on day 5 of the US Open came close to witnessing a huge upset. Novak Djokovic faced fellow countryman Laslo Djere, Much has been made of Djokovic having the easier side of the draw at Flushing Meadows, and this was a match the legend of the sport was expected to win easily.
However, Djere had other ideas. His performance in the early stages of the contest in particular made this battle of the Serbians excellent viewing. What did Djere do particularly well? And how did the 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic manage to battle through? Read on for a summary of the third-round encounter.
Story of the Match
First Two Sets
Djere came out with an aggression and intent that clearly took his more illustrious countryman by surprise. The younger Serbian’s biggest weapon is his forehand, but it is questionable if he has ever hit it better than he did in the opening two sets of this contest. Djokovic was broken in the very first game as Djere immediately unleashed his waves of attack. The greatest returner tennis has ever seen was also nullified by excellent serving. It was the two-time ATP champion who looked more likely to get another break, but it did not matter in the end as Djere took the opening set 6-4.
The pattern of the following set was quite similar. Djokovic did initially look in less danger than previously on his serve. But the nine-time US Open finalist suddenly dropped his level slightly at 3-3. Djere, who was still performing outstandingly, needed no encouragement. He pounced to break again, and then comfortably held his next two service games to win the set 6-4 once more. Djokovic was out of sorts, and in major trouble.
Sets Three and Four
Now just one set away from defeat, Djokovic then did what he has done countless times during his career. The 35-time Grand Slam finalist suddenly found inspiration. The 36-year-old stopped missing shots in an uncharacteristic manner, or dropping balls short in an inviting manner for Djere to attack. Admittedly Djere did drop his level somewhat from the incredible heights achieved previously. But the turnaround was mostly due to Djokovic rising in adversity. The consistently better depth on the elder Serbian’s groundstrokes was the biggest reason for how the match changed. The recent Wimbledon finalist raced through the third set, with a bagel only being avoided with a Djere hold at 5-0.
The start of the fourth set was very evenly matched, with the pair exchanging breaks of serve in the opening two games. A crucial moment came in the following game at 1-1. It was a long and grueling game that Djere invested a huge amount of energy into, hitting some stunning shots along the way. Yet it was still not enough, and Djokovic broke again. From that point the set quickly became one-sided, and once again it ended 6-1.
The Fifth Set
Unfortunately, Djere was clearly struggling physically at this point. That was understandable. He had given so much energy to get the lead initially. Having it taken away so ruthlessly was difficult mentally and physically. Djokovic looked like he would make short work of the fifth set as well. He was now consistently winning the longer rallies, and broke once again. However, to his immense credit, Djere hung in as best he could. He served better than the previous two sets, and created a break point when Djokovic served for the match. But he was unable to execute in the pivotal moment after a long rally.
Djokovic prevailed eventually prevailed 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3. Although he will be frustrated with the opening two sets, he once again showed his incredible conditioning and mental strength as a 36-year-old. A 24th Grand Slam is still on.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
