WHAT HAPPENED: Novak Djokovic has so routinely mowed down opponents in 2020 that merely staying even with the Serb for at least a set counts as a considerable achievement.
Kyle Edmund did that and more, but for a single set only. Edmund snatched the first tiebreak (of 11) that Djokovic has lost all year, and the Brit won a very physical, hard-fought opening set that lasted 70 minutes.
Djokovic restored order in the second set, grabbing nine of 11 points in the early going and sprinting to a 4-1 lead. The top seed began to impose his game, and the intense humidity Wednesday afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium appeared to make the 25-year-old Edmund melt. At one point there was a three-minute break in the action as ball boys mopped up puddles of sweat left behind by the Brit, who spent the time on the sideline changing his water-sogged shoes for the third time.
Edmund owns a blistering forehand and heavy serve, but he is hampered by mediocre movement and a backhand that is largely a rally shot. Yet Edmund showed that he has worked hard on those weaknesses, and his ability to stay with Djokovic for the first hour depended on the improvements he has made in both areas.
Djokovic wasn’t perfect, committing an uncharacteristic 34 unforced errors in cruel conditions, but he won going away, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, closing out the three-hour match on his serve at love.
“Kyle played a fantastic first set. He didn’t do much wrong,” said Djokovic, afterward. “It was anybody’s game, really, for a set-and-a-half.”
“Overall it was a very good test and I’m happy to get through.”
Djokovic rebounded by mixing up the pace, throwing in drop shots, and exposing Edmund’s movement. The Brit looked more and more sluggish as the afternoon wore on. Combined with the heat and humidity, it was all too much for Edmund.
Then again, Djokovic has been too much for everyone on tour this year. It was the Serb’s 25th consecutive victory in 2020.
WHAT IT MEANS: Taking the court against Djokovic, the first problem is believing that you belong there. The second problem is matching up and staying with Djokovic as he beats you into submission.
Edmund had won a previous encounter with Djokovic, albeit on clay in Madrid in 2018, and he also won the opening set against the Serb at Wimbledon the same year. He took the court in this second-round match appearing to believe in his game. And while he stayed with Djokovic and even captured the opening set, the second challenge ultimately proved too monumental to master.
Djokovic next meets the No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff. Djokovic is undefeated against the German and surrendered just four games to him in their quarterfinal last week, at the Western & Southern Open.
MATCH POINT: Despite the four-set win, Novak Djokovic didn’t look as utterly invincible as he has most of this abbreviated season. Is it a sign that it is still much too early to coronate him as the champ of the 2020 US Open? Is there anyone in his half of the draw who can derail him?
