(August 27, 2025) FLUSHING, NY – No. 7 Novak Djokovic rebounded from a first set loss to subdue Zach Svjda 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the US Open. The victory gives the Serb 191 match wins in hardcourt majors, tied with Roger Federer and advances him to the third round..
The 38-year-old, holder of 24 major tournament titles, was not pleased with his performance.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really happy with my tennis for the first part of the match,” he said on court after the win.
“But also credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis. Unfortunate that he obviously struggled with the injury towards the end of the second. But kudos to him for staying on the court.
“It was obvious that he couldn’t serve as well as he did for a set and a half.”
“That was the case for most of my Grand Slam career. The deeper I go in the tournament, the better I feel about my game,” he explained.
“Obviously, a little bit different in the last couple of years for me, body-wise. I get wear and tear quicker than I ever used to. So I have to deal with that.
“A lot of recovery stuff off the court and trying to make myself able to perform at the highest level for as many hours as is necessary on the court.”
Djokovic has accomplished everything there is to do in tennis, so are there more goals for him to accomplish?
“There is always something to prove once you step out onto the court, which is you’re still able to win a tennis match,” the 38-year-old said to media.
“I think it is just a question of perspective. Obviously in the larger perspective of understanding of what I have been through and what I have achieved in the many years that I have played on the tour, one can always think that there is nothing more to achieve or to approve because you’ve done it all, but it’s quite relative. It’s quite individual the way you see it.
“But in a short-term type of mindset and perspective, it’s really about trying to make the most out of that day and win a tennis match, find a way to win.
“So that’s what I’ve done today. I mean, I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but, you know, you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way.
“Yeah, no, not to get too philosophical about it, but I still love the feeling of competition, the drive that I feel on the court. You know, I get really hard on myself a lot of the times because I expect myself to play always at the highest level, which is obviously not always possible. But, you know, I still have desire to compete with the young guys, you know. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here playing.”
Next up for Djokovic will play the winner of the match between Cameron Norrie and Francisco Comesana for a place in the fourth round.
More to follow…
