A battle between two Serbians captivated the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night — and showed tennis legend Novak Djokovic can be human.
Djokovic, the U.S. Open second seed, still came out on top, defeating unseeded Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in a three hour and 45 minute showstopping third-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 28-year-old Djere put the 23-time Grand Slam champion in a 2-0 deficit, the first time Djokovic had lost the first two sets of a match since his comeback against Jannik Sinner in the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Djokovic looked vulnerable, more so than in his Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcarez, who is the top seed at Flushing Meadows.
Djere has won just two titles throughout his professional career, which began in 2013. Both were clay-court tournaments: Rio de Janeiro and Sardinia.
This season, he had first-round, second-round, and third-round exits in the other three Grand Slam tournaments.
The U.S. Open crowd seemed to be torn between the two players, rooting for Djere to pull off the big upset one second and then for of the world favorites the next.
As the match went on, fewer and fewer seats were filled, but those who stayed were treated to a thrilling comeback show.
In the third set, Djokovic rallied to hold Djere to a single game. The fourth set was filled with extensive and exhausting volleys.
Each had their star moments. Djere had arguably the shot of the match with a backhand slice down the line that looked practically impossible to make in the fourth set.
But Djokovic did what he does often, to move on from a tight match.
He outlasted his opponent.
Djokovic took advantage of mistakes Djere made in their several deuces of the third set, including several wide and deep shots outside the court, thus preventing him from breaking Djokovic’s serve.
In the final set, Djokovic tired out Djere, who still had great shots and proven stamina, but not enough to pass the man they call Djoker.
Djokovic sealed the victory in a tight ninth-game deuce, concluding with a wide shot from Djere.
On Sunday, Djokovic will face unseeded Borna Gojo of Croatia, 25, who turned pro in 2020.
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