Novak Djokovic began his U.S. Open title defence with a commanding, albeit imperfect, straight-set victory.
The Serb's serve was off, he was playing on a hard court for the first time since March and his age was catching up to him after a slow start.
But none of that prevented him from winning 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 against Radu Albot.
“I started well, but I struggled with the rhythm of my serve and with certain shots,” Djokovic said. “It's always difficult to start, especially after not playing on this surface for five or six months and especially when you're playing on clay after just winning an Olympic gold medal. I hadn't played any competitive matches before the U.S. Open, so I expect it to be a bit tougher in the opening round.”
Djokovic, bidding to break Margaret Court's all-time record for his 25th major title, committed 10 double faults, 40 unforced errors and hit just 47 percent of his first serves.
But he said his surgically repaired knee was fine and cruised to an easy win over Albot.
“My knee is really fine. I didn't have any problems during the whole Olympic tournament and in this first round too. Luckily, everything is fine,” said Djokovic, who next plays fellow Serb Laslo Djere. “I'm sure one of the Serbian players will make it to the third round and hopefully it will be me.”
