US Open 2024: Defending champion Novak Djokovic dissatisfied with late start: “That’s not really what you want”

Novak Djokovic didn’t start his work night on Monday until around 10 p.m. And he didn’t finish until around midnight.

The 37-year-old Serb was not impressed by the hours in the first match of his US Open title defense.

“I think for the fans, these finals are special so late at night, especially after midnight,” said the 24-time Grand Slam champion after his 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Radu Albot of Moldova. “For us, I don’t know. It’s not really what you want, but if you win, everything is good.”

Djokovic was the second match on the evening card at Arthur Ashe Stadium and for a while it looked like he would continue at a reasonable time, but 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens managed to squander a 6-0, 3-0 lead against France’s Clara Burel.

Burel eventually won 0-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a match that didn’t end until around 9:30 p.m. Djokovic, who came onto the court with two golden tennis bags in honor of his Olympic gold medal, didn’t start until around 10 p.m.

“Honestly, it was a long wait,” he said. “I thought I was going to go on court at 8:15 p.m. because Stephens was serving 6-love, 3-love, and then suddenly it turned out to be a two-and-a-half-hour match or something.”

“Yeah, I guess you just have to accept that. Those are the cases where you’re scheduled second after 7:00, 7:30 or whenever it started. I like playing night games, but I like going first.

“So, yeah, hopefully I’ll get more chances to play in the evenings and be scheduled first so we can start at a more comfortable time and finish at a more comfortable time.”

Djokovic added: “Well, I don’t think age really helps to stay that long and play for a very long time. I notice that my batteries are empty now. I switch off.”

After many years of the women’s match starting first and the men’s match then, the order at the US Open is now being changed. On Tuesday evening, Carlos Alcaraz will play the first evening match, followed by a women’s match between the Americans Jessica Pegula and Shelby Rogers.

Djokovic made 10 double faults but won the first game of his title defence in just over two hours. It was his 78th Ashe victory, the most by any man.

He is attempting to become the first man to defend his US Open title since Roger Federer in 2008. Federer won five times in a row from 2004 to 2008.

Djokovic, who won his first Olympic gold medal against Alcaraz in Paris earlier this month, is also aiming for a 25th Grand Slam title, which would be a record and should silence any remaining critics of his GOAT status.

“People ask me, now that I’ve basically won everything with the gold medal, what is there left to win?” Djokovic said before the tournament. “I still feel the drive. You know, I still have the competitive spirit. I still want to make more history and have fun on the tour. I still hope to inspire a lot of young people to watch tennis and play tennis.”

“Those are some of the reasons why I’m still in it. Grand Slams are the pillars of our sport. They are the most important historical tennis events there are. So if you’re not motivated and inspired to play your best tennis at Grand Slams, it’s hard to achieve that anywhere else.”

He will next face fellow Serbian Laslo Djere on Wednesday – probably during the day session.

“It’s obviously great for Serbian tennis that two Serbian players are competing against each other,” Djokovic said. “One of the Serbs is guaranteed to make it to the third round. Hopefully it’s me, but Djere is a guy who really likes playing on a big stage.”

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter covering Seton Hall and college basketball in New Jersey for NJ Advance Media. You can follow him on Twitter @Subscribe and visit his website at ZAGSBLOG.com.