Djokovic suffers but survives in New York

If you subscribe to the ethos that to fully enjoy the highs you first have to endure some suffering, then Novak Djokovic may be on his way to his third US Open title.

Knowing how to deal with pressure

Searing temperatures, which reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and an inspired opponent in Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, had Djokovic reeling and at one stage things were so bad that the Serb asked for a bin to be placed alongside his chair in case he needed to vomit. 

But even when he was really feeling at his worst, he never felt he would not be able to finish the match and the 10-minute break – a special heat rule instigated at the US Open on Tuesday for the first time – did the trick. In the end, the No 6 seed pulled away for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.

“Being part of so many matches of this kind, as today, it just allows me to use that experience with someone maybe across the net who is less experienced,” he said.

“Those small kind of details can really decide a winner in these particular matches, just knowing how to deal and cope with pressure in those moments where you select your shots or you just play a certain way.”

Returned too soon?

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Djokovic after the first few months of the year, when, having had elbow surgery in February, he looked lost on the court when playing in Indian Wells and in Miami.

The realisation that he had returned too soon, he said, was the inspiration for a stunning return to form, starting in Rome, continuing in Paris and then hitting the heights at Wimbledon, where he won for the fourth time.

“It took me about three, four months really to start playing consistently well match after match,” he said. “I struggled in those three, four months. I've never faced this particular situation before, so for me it was something new but something I had to face. I've learned a lot in the process. I managed to grow and understand, you know, what it takes really to get to the desired level.

“So the last couple months have been really good for me on the court. The Wimbledon win was a huge relief, I think, more than anything else, because I just personally put a lot of expectations and pressure on myself.”

A ten minutes break

There was a time when Djokovic used to wilt in the heat, and when he called for the bin midway through the third set against Fucosvics, a former junior Wimbledon champion, having been visibly struggling on the court, things did not look great. But as she has done so many times in his career, Djokovic got himself out of a tight spot.

“I was actually praying that I would feel better in the next moment because I definitely wasn’t feeling great for most of the first three sets,” said Djokovic, who consulted the doctor and covered himself in two ice towels at every change of ends.”

During the 10-minute break, Djokovic and Fucosvics found themselves in an ice bath although not, as he was keen to point out, the same one. “We were both not in one ice bath, no,” he laughed. “I said that very clearly. It was two ice baths, one next to another.”

The power of ice bath

The ice bath completely rejuvenated Djokovic, who raced through the fourth set to set up a second-round meeting against Tennys Sandgren of the United States.

“It was a set all and I was break down. I think that was a turning point, 4-3 in the third when he was serving, I managed to play a good game. I saw that he's starting to slow down a bit and was starting to experience some physical issues. That's where I felt, well, this is the time to use this kind of opportunity and try and get back in the match.

“After that, I didn’t lose a game until the end of the match. Obviously a 10-minute break was something that was very much appreciated and needed. I'm glad that we had that. I haven't experienced that before. That was the first time. I think we both needed it.”