Djokovic fights back from two sets down to reach US Open last 16
REUTERS – A tenacious Novak Djokovic survived a US Open late night fright battling back from two sets down to tame fellow Serb Laslo Djere 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3 on Friday, and move into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
On the ropes and reeling Djokovic, as he has done many times before, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in front a record crowd inside a breathless Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
It marked the 38th time Djokovic has won a five-setter and kept alive the 36-year-old’s quest for a fourth US Open crown that would pull him level with Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams.
“I hope you enjoyed the show, it was not so enjoyable for me especially in the first two sets,” Djokovic told the crowd. “It was one of the toughest matches I have played here in many years.”
Djokovic had looked imperious in his opening two matches surrendering only 11 games in blowout wins over Frenchman Alexandre Muller and Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles but his 32nd seeded countryman proved a far tougher test.
The two Serbs had only clashed once before that in Belgrade last year but there were signs then that Djere was a danger, with the contest needing three sets and two tie-breaks before Djokovic claim the win.
“I did a little pep talk in the mirror,” said Djokovic about his bathroom break after the second set. “I kind of laughed at myself because I was agitated and annoyed with the result, I had to kind of force myself to lift myself, to lift the spirits up.”
“Once I got the break in the third I thought ‘OK, I have a shot, I have a chance,” said Djokovic. “I might as well go after it.”
“I started to play a bit more aggressive, started to read his games slightly more than I had in the first two sets and it worked well.
“But trust me, it was nerve wracking all the way till the last shot,” he added.