Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after defeating Radu Albot of Moldova in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Luke)
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic defeated qualifier Radu Albot of Moldova 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday night to claim his 89th U.S. Open title and begin his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic, the second seed, again wore a gray sleeve over his surgically operated right knee and played his first match since winning gold at the Paris Olympics three weeks ago, the last major achievement missing from his resume.
“It’s always tough to start, especially after not playing on this surface for five or six months and coming off an Olympic gold medal and then coming to clay. I hadn’t played any competitive matches before the U.S. Open, so I expect it’s probably going to be a little bit tougher in the opening round,” he said. “Hopefully I can play better every day.”
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He said his knee, which underwent surgery in early June, is feeling good.
The 37-year-old Serbian is 18-0 after his first-round match at Flushing Meadows and is 89-13 overall at the hard-court tournament, having won it four times, including last year. Djokovic has never lost earlier than the third round at the U.S. Open, while Albot has never made it past the third round in 30 major appearances.
The retired Federer has an 89-14 record in New York, winning five straight years from 2004 to 2008. He is the most recent player to win the U.S. Open more than twice in a row. On the men’s side, only Jimmy Connors has won more matches at the tournament than Djokovic and Federer, with a 98-17 record.
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Djokovic has never lost a Grand Slam match to a player as low-ranked as Albot, who is ranked 138th, and Albot is currently 0-12 against opponents ranked in the top 10.
Next up for Djokovic will be fellow countryman and familiar opponent and friend Laslo Djere, who advanced with a 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-2 win over Jan-Lennard Struff. Djokovic faced Djere in the third round of the U.S. Open a year ago, when Djokovic won the first two sets before Djokovic advanced in five sets.
“I’m sure one of the Serbian players will make it to the third round, I hope it’s me, but Djere is a player who really likes to play on the big stage. I think he likes the conditions here too. It’s a bit faster here, the ball stays low, his backhand in particular is very flat, his serve and return are great and he has more stamina than anyone,” Djokovic said. “I remember our match very well, it was a very tough match. I’ll analyse it and hopefully play even better than last year.”
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