Another day, another win for Novak Djokovic. The tennis icon started the US Open on a dominant note after beating Learner Tien in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2, at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
Djokovic admitted after the match that he wasn't feeling great physically, but he still got the job done in yet another example of his resolute greatness.
He also made history by claiming his 75th straight opening win in a Grand Slam tournament. According to Opta Ace, Djokovic became the first player, male or female, in the Open Era to achieve the feat in singles main draws.
75 – Novak Djokovic has claimed a 75th consecutive opening win at Grand Slam events, becoming the first player (male or female) in the Open Era to achieve the feat in Singles main draws. Machine.#USOpen | @usopen @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/W6D7vunbsD
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 25, 2025
It was the 38-year-old Djokovic's first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of Wimbledon last month. He had to shake off his rust early on against Tien, who was half his age. In the end, experience won despite some scary moments.
“I started great. Just over 20 minutes in the first set, I felt really good. Then (we had) some long games to start the second set, and then I started to feel really (bad), I don't know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically,” said the four-time US Open champion, as quoted by the ATP Tour.
“We had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match. I'm glad that I kind of reset myself after the second set. The third set was okay to finish up the match.”
Djokovic, currently ranked No. 7, last ruled the major tournament in 2023. He is looking to join fellow legends Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer for the most US Open titles with five.
He will face Zachary Svajda in the second round on Wednesday.
“Good thing, (I have) two days off now. But yeah, it's slightly a concern. I don't know. I don't have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points,” added the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
