NEW YORK — It wasn’t quite a first for Novak Djokovic, but it has been a long time since he has had to come back from a two-sets-to-none deficit to win a match at the U.S. Open.
“I did a little pep talk in the mirror,” a chuckling Djokovic said to a small group of reporters after the match. “I kind of laughed at myself because I was so p----- off and agitated and annoyed with the result of the game, but I had to kind of force myself to lift myself up, lift the spirits up a little bit.”
Djokovic raised his spirits, his overall level and his serve to clock his eighth career comeback from two sets down, finally finishing off Laslo Djere with a 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory at 1:32 a.m. with Arthur Ashe Stadium about 30 percent full. A hearty crowd of all ages stuck around to roar for Djokovic and ring in the holiday weekend while the DJ on Arthur Ashe Stadium exercised his right to play a smattering of time-related songs.
Djokovic did not sing along to AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” He instead opted to spend most changeovers with a blue towel draped over his head, obscuring his face.
If the two sets Djere, ranked 38th, managed to take off Djokovic make the three-time U.S. Open champion seem more vulnerable, the 23-time Grand Slam champion had another interpretation.
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“I think the message is sent to the rest of the field, obviously, that I’m still able to play five sets deep at night,” Djokovic said. “Coming from two sets down always sends a strong message to the future opponents, but at the same time, I’m not really wanting to be in this position, to be honest. I prefer a straight-sets win. Hopefully I can get back on that track in the next match.”
There’s also this for future opponents to consider: The only other time Djokovic has come back from two sets down at the U.S. Open was in 2011 in a semifinal against Roger Federer. He may have had the benefit of youth then, but he went on to beat Rafael Nadal in the final to win his first title at Flushing Meadows.
There are only two other instances in which Djokovic did not advance past the third round at the U.S. Open: the first two times he competed in the main draw. He lost to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the third round of his debut in 2005 and to Lleyton Hewitt at the same stage in his second tournament.
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If Djokovic leaves the city with nothing else, he has already regained the world No. 1 ranking thanks to his first-round win Monday. The Serb did not play the U.S. Open last year because of travel restrictions prohibiting those unvaccinated against the coronavirus from entering the country, so he had no points to defend this year. He needed only to advance to the second round to ensure he reclaims the top spot from Carlos Alcaraz and extend his own record to 390 weeks ranked No. 1.
Asked on court early Saturday whether he wanted to know his next opponent, Djokovic shook his head. He plays Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo in the fourth round, but after 1:30 a.m., it did not matter.
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