Tennis
Djokovic Surpasses 90 Wins in Each Grand Slam Tournament
New York City, US, Aug 28 (EFE).- Novak Djokovic moved into the third round of the US Open on Wednesday after the withdrawal of fellow Serbian Laslo Djere due to an abdominal injury.
Djere withdrew after two hours and 16 minutes of play with Djokovic leading 6-4, 6-4, 2-0.
With the victory, Djokovic became the first tennis player in history with at least 90 wins in each of the Grand Slams.
He now has 94 wins in the Australian Open, 96 in the French Open, 97 in Wimbledon and 90 in the US Open.
The defending champion will meet Australian Alexei Popyrin, who recently clinched the ATP Montreal Masters title and defeated Spain’s Pedro Martínez in the US tournament’s second round in three sets.
Djokovic won the fiercely contested first set in just over an hour.
The hot and humid conditions seemed to have a toll on both players with Djokovic receiving treatment before the second set.
Djere managed to break his opponent twice in the second set to go up 4-2 but began showing signs of discomfort.
He called for a medical timeout and received treatment but was unable to win a game after that.
He tried to finish the match but was forced to retire at the start of the third set.
“Overall, it was a big fight. Over two hours for two sets. I served awful. So playing without the serve, you have to grind, you have to run. So I guess I had to rely on my baseline game,” Djokovic said after the match.
“The matches are only going to get tougher from here. I know that, but I’m fine. I’ll find my way, as I have done many times in my career,” he added.
Djokovic is seeking his 25th Grand Slam singles title to move past his tie with Margaret Court, which would allow him to become the tennis player with the most Grand Slams. EFE
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