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Top seed to face Edmund in second round
Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic? The top seed continued his flawless season on Monday night at the US Open, moving to 24-0 in 2020 with a speedy 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Damir Dzumhur.

"He's one of the quickest players on the Tour. He played some really good shots and it was anybody's game midway through the second set," Djokovic said on court after the match. "I was pleased to close out the second set and then stepped it up [by] a couple of levels.

“I did struggle a bit [with] the semi-finals and final back to back [last week], but I had 48 hours. Not so much [time], but still enough time to recover. I felt good on the court today. The good thing about a Slam is that you only play every two days, so you have at least one day of rest and recovery. I’m going to try to use that as much as I can and gather all my energy and strength for the next one.”


Despite being in firm control throughout the match, Djokovic looked up to his team on numerous occasions. Without the typically full stadium of fans cheering him on that he's accustomed to, the World No. 1 appeared to be looking for additional support from his entourage.

“Your team, your box, is always cheering you on. Regardless of whether you have an empty or full stadium, you always turn to them mostly. You look up to them, expect them to be with you and support you on the journey throughout the match,” Djokovic said. “Maybe you don’t want your box to clap when your opponent makes a mistake. Damir is a very good friend, so it’s a little bit awkward. But at the same time, it’s a Grand Slam, first round, biggest stadium in our sport [and] we want to start well."


All of Djokovic’s wins this year have come on hard courts. He earned his 35th ATP Masters 1000 title last week at the Western & Southern Open (d. Raonic) and now shares the record with Rafael Nadal for most Masters 1000 titles. The Serbian also edged further clear of Nadal and Roger Federer in the 'Big Titles' battle with a 57th trophy at that level and could increase the gap even more if he wins his 18th Grand Slam title this fortnight.

Awaiting the three-time US Open champion (2011, 2015, 2018) in the next round is Kyle Edmund, who defeated Alexander Bublik 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0. Djokovic holds a 5-1 over Edmund in their ATP Head2Head, including a fourth-round win at the 2016 US Open.

"He has a really good serve and forehand, two really big weapons. I had some really good matches against him in the past, tough four-setter at Wimbledon a few years ago," Djokovic said. "He doesn't feel so much pressure playing on a big court. He actually likes the challenge.

"I have a lot of respect for him. He's a really hard worker, puts a lot of hours on and off the court into perfecting his game. His results were up and down a little bit, but I think he does have the game and potential to be in the Top 20 without a doubt, where I expect him to be soon. So it's going to be a tough one."

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Djokovic’s only blip in the first set came when he whiffed a backhand in the fourth point, but he quickly recovered and displayed his best form. The Serbian pushed Dzumhur well behind the baseline in their rallies and tossed in several crafty drop shots to end points, even throwing in a successful serve-and-volley play to close out the opening set.

Dzumhur continued to tirelessly chase down balls and mix up the pace on his shots in an effort to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm. His dogged determination was highlighted by saving six break points to hold serve at 3-3 in the second set. But Djokovic remained unfazed and broke Dzumhur at 4-4 before grabbing a commanding two-sets lead, letting out a roar after set point.

The third set was one-way traffic for Djokovic and he fired a forehand passing shot on match point to advance in one hour and 58 minutes. He finished the night with 31 winners to 29 unforced errors.

Jan-Lennard Struff won the first seven games and last five games of his 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 win over Pedro Martinez. Awaiting the No. 28 seed in the second round is Michael Mmoh, who defeated Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.

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- Nie wzywamy do bojkotu. Nie tworzymy równoległych tras. Chcemy mieć stowarzyszenie, które będzie w 100 proc. nasze - graczy - mówił Novak Djoković o powstaniu niezależnego od ATP stowarzyszenia tenisistów.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
31 Sierpnia 2020, 10:05

Novak Djoković
PAP/EPA / JASON SZENES / Na zdjęciu: Novak Djoković


Tenis. ATP Nowy Jork: Novak Djoković z tytułem i przesłaniem dla fanów. "Jesteście powodem, dla którego gramy"
Novak Djoković wspierał Vaska Pospisila w pracach nad powstaniem niezwiązanej z ATP organizacji dbającej o interesy graczy. W końcu dopięli swego. W weekend Serb ogłosił powołanie Professional Tennis Player Assocation (PTPA) - pierwszego niezależnego stowarzyszenia zawodowych tenisistów.
- Jesteśmy jednym z niewielu sportów, które nie mają własnego niezależnego stowarzyszenia zawodników - mówił Serb o PTPA w transkrypcie ASAP Sports. - To temat poruszany od wielu lat. Nie chcę mówić, że to mój pomysł czy Vaska, ale z pewnością uważamy, że to właściwy krok naprzód. To pozwala nam mieć platformę, dzięki której gracze będą mogli wyrażać siebie, rozmawiać o pomysłach i sprawach związanych z nimi.


Po powołaniu PTPA Serb odszedł z Rady Zawodników ATP, której był przewodniczącym. - Byłem członkiem Rady przez 10-15 lat. Przystąpiłem do niej dobrowolnie i starałem się wnieść pasję, chęci i wiedzę, aby przyczynić się do rozwoju sportu. Ale to bardzo złożony ekosystem. Jest ATP, Komitet Wielkiego Szlema, ITF, WTA i inne oddzielne podmioty - wyjaśnił.

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ZAMKNIJ
Powstanie stowarzyszenia zostało negatywnie odebrane przez ATP oraz pozostałych członków Rady Graczy, na czele z Rogerem Federerem i Rafaelem Nadalem. - Przeczytałem w oświadczeniu, że ATP twierdzi, iż nie możemy z nimi współistnieć. Muszę się z tym nie zgodzić. Zgodnie z prawem jesteśmy w 100 proc. bezpieczni i wolno nam tworzyć stowarzyszenie graczy. To nie jest związek. To stowarzyszenie. Nie wzywamy do bojkotu. Nie tworzymy równoległych tras - podkreślił.

- Oczywiście, chciałbym mieć na pokładzie Rogera i Rafę - przyznał. - Ale rozumiem, że niektórzy z tenisistów mają inne opinie i uważają, że nie jest to odpowiedni moment. Ja myślę, że jest to właściwy czas.


- W ciągu ostatnich 15 lat słyszałem, jak wielu graczy, zwłaszcza spoza czołowej "100", wyrażało niezadowolenie ze sposobu, w jaki byli traktowani. Zawsze skupiamy się na najlepszych, ale ATP Tour to ponad 1000 tenisistów i musimy słuchać potrzeb tych gości. Dlatego chcemy mieć stowarzyszenie, które będzie w 100 proc. nasze - graczy. Będziemy współpracować z ATP i wszystkimi organami zarządzającymi w sporcie - zaznaczył.

World No. 1 to face Struff in third round


After losing his first tie-break of the year in the opening set, Novak Djokovic raised his game on Tuesday at the US Open to improve to 25-0 this year.

The World No. 1 struck 51 winners to overcome Kyle Edmund 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and extend his unbeaten start to the year. Djokovic has now won 28 consecutive matches, dating back to November 2019.

“It was anybody’s game really for a set and a half,” said Djokovic. “I made some breaks and then obviously after winning the second set I felt more comfortable. I was returning better, I started to read his serve better and I was pleased with my serve. Overall, it was a very good test and I am happy to get through.”

The World No. 1 has trailed by a set in three of his four most recent matches, but has consistently produced his best level in key games to change the momentum and charge to victory. At last week’s Western & Southern Open, Djokovic rallied from a set down in both his semi-final and final encounters to clinch a record-equalling 35th ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

Djokovic improves to 6-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Edmund. The top seed also trailed Edmund by a set at Wimbledon in 2018, before coming back to earn another four-set victory.

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Djokovic is bidding to capture a fourth US Open trophy and 18th Grand Slam title. The Western & Southern Open champion, who has won five of the past seven major titles, is currently in third place on the Grand Slam titles leaderboard. Djokovic is two trophies behind 19-time major champion Rafael Nadal and three crowns behind 20-time Grand Slam titlist Roger Federer.

On a humid day in New York, Edmund came prepared with three pairs of shoes and an impressive game plan. The New York Open champion, who has been seen switching his shoes during changeovers, fired a series of powerful forehands in the first-set tie-break to take a one-set lead.

Edmund converted his first set point at 6/5 with a huge serve down the T, ending Djokovic’s perfect 10-0 record in tie-breaks this year. Djokovic entered the contest with a 19-1 record in his past 20 tie-breaks, dating back to his 2019 Wimbledon final victory against Roger Federer.

“Kyle played a fantastic first set,” said Djokovic. “He didn’t do much wrong, he served very well and was aggressive from the back of the court. Usually his forehand is a weapon, but [his] backhand, especially in the first set, was very strong, very solid.”

Djokovic moved away from an unsuccessful tactic of using drop shots in the second set and was gifted an early break at 2-1 when Edmund committed two double faults. The Serbian served with confidence to reach 5-3, where he recovered from 0/30 down to level the match. Djokovic clinched the set by landing his ninth ace of the match.


In an extended game at 1-1 in the third set, Djokovic charged across the baseline to lengthen rallies and extract consecutive errors from Edmund for a 2-1 lead. With momentum on his side, Djokovic rushed Edmund with a series of flat returns at 3-1 to break to love. The game proved to be the first of four consecutive breaks, but Djokovic regained his composure to hold serve at 5-4 with a forehand winner down the line.

Djokovic earned an early advantage in the fourth set, breaking Edmund in the opening game with aggression on his backhand side. The Belgrade native charged to the finish line, converting his first match point with an overhead winner.

Djokovic will face Jan-Lennard Struff for a spot in the Round of 16. The German needed one hour and 40 minutes to move past American Michael Mmoh 6-2, 6-2, 7-5.

Djokovic owns an unbeaten 4-0 ATP Head2Head record against Struff. The pair have met twice this year, with Djokovic needing four sets to get past the 30-year-old at the Australian Open in January. At last week’s Western & Southern Open, Djokovic took just 62 minutes to claim a 6-3, 6-1 quarter-final victory.

“[Struff] is another big server. I obviously played a great match against him in the Western & Southern Open,” said Djokovic. “There are different conditions here, if we play on [Arthur Ashe Stadium]. He is a big server and there is not much breeze in here, so that probably helps the server. Let’s see. I like my chances in best-of-five.”

Carreno Busta defeats Berankis on Friday
Novak Djokovic has alternated between night and day sessions throughout the first week of the US Open. But regardless of what time he steps on court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, his best tennis has accompanied him.

The top seed wasted little time imposing his game on Friday against No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff, tracking down Struff’s powerful forehands to coax errors out of the German and pouncing on any short balls he received. One hour and 42 minutes later, the Serbian eased into the fourth round and improved to 26-0 this season with a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory, marking his 600th career hard-court win.

”It was a very good performance from my side. I managed to read his serve well,” Djokovic said. “I found my way, especially after the first set. The second and third sets were a really great feeling on the court.

“I’ve been playing well the past couple of weeks, training well, focussing on the right things, maintaining that level of performance and hoping for the best. I’m feeling confident about my game and taking that to every match I play.”


Djokovic improved to 75-11 at the US Open and has reached the second week in his past 13 appearances at this event. He maintained his flawless (5-0) record against Struff in their ATP Head2Head series, including a straight-sets win last week in the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals and a four-set triumph in January at the Australian Open.

Awaiting him in the next round is No. 20 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who breezed past Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniard thrives at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, having reached the 2017 US Open semi-finals and clinched his first ATP Masters 1000 doubles title last week (w/De Minaur, but trails 0-3 in his ATP Head2head rivalry with Djokovic.

“He’s a very solid player, maybe doesn’t possess any big weapons, but every shot is very good,” Djokovic said. “He returns a lot of balls, so I’ve got to be ready for a lot of exchanges. It’s going to be a demanding match physically and mentally. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue the good performance that I had tonight.”

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Struff took a fearless approach in the first set against Djokovic, striking his serves with authority and flattening out his forehand in a bid to take control of rallies. But as the World No. 1 so often does, he raised his level in the closing stages of the set and grabbed the last six points for an early advantage.

Djokovic uncorked a down-the-line forehand to break Struff in the opening game of the second set and continued to apply pressure. Although the German attempted to change tactics and move forward when it became clear he couldn’t hit through his opponent, the grueling effort it takes to win points against Djokovic often led to Struff overcooking shots on key points. The top seed broke Struff again at 5-3 for a commanding two-sets lead.

He maintained his one-way dominance in the final set, breaking Struff twice more and firing a service winner to close out the match. Djokovic finished the night with 34 winners to 23 unforced errors.