Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title kicked off with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 win against qualifier Radu Albot in the US Open first round, as the defending champion returned to the court after his Olympic triumph.
Three weeks after winning the singles title at the Paris Games, Djokovic made his appearance onto centre court where the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd gave him a hero’s welcome as the Serbian seeks to move past Margaret Court on the all-time Grand Slam winners’ list.
After bright starts in the first two sets, Djokovic crumbled on serve in each of them before making a better game of the third. He had more than enough weapons to handle Moldovan Albot in their first tour clash and claim a record 78th win at Arthur Ashe under a closed roof.
‘I was not aware of it, to be honest with you,’ Djokovic said of the centre court milestone. ‘It’s definitely the loudest stadium we have in the history of our sport. The night sessions are the best in the world here.’
In the twilight of
a record-smashing career, Djokovic is eyeing several milestones in New York, including a fifth title at Flushing Meadows to match the professional era record held by Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
He also hopes to become the first back-to-back winner in the men’s singles since Federer’s run of five successive titles from 2004-08.
Source: Voice of Nigeria