by Novak Djokovic’s quest for a historic 25th Grand Slam title is underway.
Djokovic cruised through his first round match at the US Open on Monday night. He beat Moldovan Radu Albot in straight sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. It was his 71st consecutive first-round victory at a major championship and pushed him to 18–0 in the first round of the US Open in his career.
Djokovic, who won the US Open title last year, picked up where he left off after his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics – which he said was the biggest achievement of his career and officially completed the Golden Slam. Djokovic won four straight games to close out his first set, then did the same in the second to finish that set without any problems.
Although it didn’t happen quite as quickly – Albor surged to 3-2 in the third set after a battle for the point in the third game – Djokovic fought his way through the sixth and seventh games of the set to regain his momentum and finally achieve victory in just over two hours.
Djokovic, who lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open to start the year, withdrew from the French Open because of a torn meniscus in his right knee in the quarterfinals. After undergoing surgery, Djokovic returned to Wimbledon and reached the final – although he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in London. This led Djokovic to his victory at the Olympics, where he defeated Alcaraz to win the first gold medal of his career. It was also his first title of any kind this season.
Although he still has a long way to go, a victory at the US Open would cap off a historic year for the Serbian star. It would be his 25th Grand Slam title, extending his lead in the race and adding to his list of accolades. It would also break his tie with Margaret Court and make him the most decorated tennis player of any era.
Djokovic will now face fellow Serbian Laslo Djere in the second round. Djere defeated Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in a five-set battle in his opening match Monday night.
