WHAT HAPPENED: World No. 1 and three-time champion Novak Djokovic remained perfect on opening night at the US Open, improving to 24-0 on the season with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 dismissal of Damir Dzumhur.
"I thought I started very well, [leading by one] set and a break," said Djokovic. "Then things got complicated. I lost my focus. He started missing less. He’s one of the quickest players on the tour. I was just pleased to close out the second set, 6-4."
"Sometimes I lose my focus, but it's important to come back as quickly as possible," he added.
If Djokovic was bothered by the neck pain he had experienced during his run to the Western & Southern Open title last week, it didn't show on Day 1 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The top-seeded Serb established his dominance early against Dzumhur, the 109th-ranked baseliner from Bosnia and Herzegovina, playing mostly error-free tennis and racing through the first set in just 23 minutes.
Dzumhur is no slouch: he's been ranked as high as No. 23 and last year took a set from Roger Federer on this very same court. But the 28-year-old, who fell to 0-3 against Djokovic, had his hands full against his streaking opponent on Monday night. Serving at 4-all, 15-40 in the second set, he double faulted to fall behind once again. He would total eight double faults in the match, winning just 36% of his second serve points.
Djokovic would add service breaks in the first, fifth and seventh games of the final set to seal the match in just under two hours.
Given all that happened last week, it's a miracle Djokovic has been able to maintain his focus. Not only did the 33-year-old become the first man to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events twice, now a Grandmaster twice over, he stepped down as head of the ATP Player Council in order to launch the breakaway PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association), a controversial move that has splintered opinions among his colleagues.
As ESPN's Mary Carillo aptly put it, "No wonder his neck hurts—that's where I put all my stress, too."
Djokovic's 24-0 start ranks up there with his very best. He famously went on a 41-0 tear to start the 2011 season, and sprinted out to 17-0 in 2013. He'll look to extend that streak next round as he continues to chase a fourth US Open trophy.
WHAT IT MEANS: Djokovic will next face Kyle Edmund, a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0 winner over Alexander Bublik. He’s 5-1 against the Brit, his lone loss coming at the Madrid Masters in 2018.
MATCH POINT: Djokovic currently ranks third all-time for most weeks at No. 1 with 284, and now trails only Roger Federer (310) and Pete Sampras (286).
