Novak Djokovic commences his quest to defend his US Open title with a successful first-round match against Radu Albot.
It's a legitimate query. The title that eluded him before and he yearned for, Djokovic has managed to grasp now: he clinched the men's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, thus completing his career Grand Slam at the age of 37. He considers this victory for Serbia as his "greatest accomplishment."
However, Djokovic is still driven by the ambition of securing his 25th Grand Slam singles title, which would make him the record holder across both men's and women's tennis.
"I'm still feeling the drive," he expressed. "I still possess the competitive spirit. I still aim to make more history and continue to enjoy myself on tour."
Djokovic commenced his US Open title defense on a positive note, defeating qualifier Radu Albot 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in a span of more than two hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He will face compatriot Laslo Djere in the second round, who needed almost four hours to outplay Jan-Lennard Struff in five sets.
"Starting out is always tough, particularly when I hadn't played on this surface for five to six months and following my Olympic gold and transitioning to clay," he acknowledged post-match. "I didn't participate in any official matches before the US Open. I anticipate facing a bit more challenge in the early rounds."
Djokovic has numerous significant accomplishments at stake over the subsequent fortnight in New York, which is the venue for the final Grand Slam event of the year.
Apart from his 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic intends to claim his fifth US Open title, which would equal the record held by Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer for the most titles by a man during the Open Era.
Moreover, he aims to be the first repeat US Open men's champion since Federer won the US Open five consecutive years from 2004 to 2008.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium witnessed Djokovic's 78th victory, the most by any man.
His first-round triumph on Monday increased his US Open match wins to 89, tying him with Federer for the second most by a man in history.
Dominic Thiem bids farewell to the US Open
Dominic Thiem finished his career at the US Open Monday, succumbing in straight sets to American Ben Shelton in their first-round encounter. However, Shelton made sure to pay tribute to Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, by directing the crowd's ovation towards him once the match concluded.
Thiem, who was awarded a wild card for this year's US Open, is retiring later this year. The match on Monday marked his final appearance at the US Open, where he had achieved remarkable success four years ago by coming back from a 2-set deficit to beat Alexander Zverev.
Thiem decided to take a break after winning the US Open due to the physical and emotional toll of securing a Grand Slam title. He spent several weeks away from tennis without even touching a racket until he was ready to return.
However, it was ultimately his wrist injury that led to his retirement announcement.
"Thank you so much for all your support throughout the years," Thiem, who was honored on the court Monday, said in his address to the fans. "It's been ten years since I first played here. It's a truly significant moment for me because I achieved my greatest career success here at this court under unusual circumstances in 2020. Unfortunatley, I didn't get to experience this triumph with any of you. So that was an incredible moment, but also somewhat sad."
Thiem is planning his final competition to be at the ATP Tour tournament in Vienna in October. The US Open served as his final Grand Slam event.
Diego Schwartzman tears farewell at the US Open
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman has also bid adieu to the US Open, intending to retire in his home country in February. Schwartzman, who has had deep runs in the US Open throughout his career, leaving a 4-set mark in his final encounter against Gael Monfils.
"It's tough to speak," a teary Schwartzman told the crowds in the Grandstand post-match. "I am a guy who cries a lot. I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to cry now. I have to be strong. I've played here 11 times in a row, played in a Grand Slam, at the US Open, and I've done really well here, but I think the entire crowd – today and the years before – all the Latin American people, all the American people here, I don't know why they take care of me like this every year."
Djokovic's love for tennis extends beyond his current accomplishments, as he continues to chase his 25th Grand Slam singles title in the sport of tennis. Thiem, on the other hand, has had a successful career at the US Open, including his Grand Slam title victory in 2020, and will be bidding farewell to the tournament later this year.
