US Open 2021: Djokovic wins his 1st round match against Rune
New Delhi: The World No.1 tennis player, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, won his first U.S. Open 2021 match against Denmark’s Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Wednesday.
The match began with Djokovic in the lead with 6-1, followed by 6-7 (5), 6-2, and 6-1 against Rune. This victory leads Djokovic into the second round of the Grand Slam.
The match marked the 18-year-old Rune’s debut in a Grand Slam tournament. The Danish player won the second set and awed the audience with his dynamic movements, powerful serves, and contagious energy.
Though Djokovic looked frustrated and off-rhythm as Rune evened the score, he returned with a greater force and took the lead in the second round.
Playing his first best-of-five had Rune experience leg-cramps at the beginning of the third set. These cramps adversely affected his performance as Rune struggled to jump into his serve or cover the corners of the court.
The final two matches lasted 51 minutes, whereas it took Rune 58 minutes to defeat Djokovic in the second set.
Djokovic is only six matches away to win the Grand Slam Singles title. Winning six more matches in the U.S. Open would mean breaking a tie with long-term rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to become the first player since Steffi Graf (1988) and the first man since Rod Laver (1969) to claim a men’s record of the 21st Grand Slam singles title.
The Grand Slam requires a player to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open in the same calendar year.
Some of the best players who won’t be competing at the U.S. Open include Roger Federer (who will undergo a knee surgery), Rafael Nadal (nursing his left foot), Serena Williams (hamstring issues), and Venus Williams (unfit to play).
As many as four players refraining from Grand Slam was 24 years ago in the 1997 Australian Open.
(Avya Mathur)
