‘I was concentrated and that’s what matters in the end,’ Novak Djokovic ousts Kei Nishikori in the third round of the 2021 US Open
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Novak Djokovic
World No.1 Novak Djokovic got one more step closer history by beating Japanese star Kei Nishikori in the third round of the 2021 US Open. The Serbian machine came from a set down to beat Nishikori in four sets 6-7(4),6-3,6-3,6-2 and is just 4 matches away from completing a record breaking calendar slam.
With a 17th consecutive win over Nishikori, this is also the 14th consecutive time that Djokovic has made it to the Round of 16 of the US Open. He had a slow start in his third round match, but gained momentum as the match went forward.
Nishikori was serving very well in the start of the first set. He put a lot of pressure on the top seed early on but Djokovic too managed to hold his serve. Both the players were aggressive from the baseline and played long rallies. In the end, the set went into a tiebreaker and both players were again drawn level at 4-4. An intense rally saw Nishikori take a mini break and eventually won the set 7-6(4).
The second set saw a fired up Djokovic as he turned his wolf mode on. The top seed broke Nishikori early on in the set and then broke him again in the end to win the set 6-3. Djokovic took all the momentum he wanted in the third set and was dominant right from the start. He again a took a break’s lead and cruised with the set comfortably at 6-3.
Djokovic has a 2-1 lead coming into the fourth set and he wasn’t going to let it slip away. He was dominant on returns, playing the ball deep in the baseline and forced errors from Nishikori. And with a double break’s lead, he won the set 6-2.
‘It can be very stressful to run with the wolf,’ Djokovic on wife Jelena
In the on court interview, Djokovic analyzed his game and admitted he wasn’t at his best in the first set. “I don’t think I started off very well,” Djokovic said.
“I was quite passive. I was too far back in the court. He was dictating the play. I was still trying to find the rhythm, find the tempo. Obviously he played much quicker and more aggressive than my opponents in the opening rounds did, so it took me a little bit of time to adjust to his game. I think beginning of the second set I already felt like I’m getting the groove back, I’m getting that rhythm back. I was very pleased with the focus. Maybe at some points I wasn’t at my best, but overall I was determined, I was concentrated and that’s what matters in the end.”
Djokovic also addressed his wife, Jelena and said that she is his greatest support.
“It’s a T-Shirt that says something about wolf. She runs with a wolf. It can be very stressful to run with the wolf. I know that she doesn’t enjoy it all the times, it’s kind of living on the edge with the wolf but I love her and she’s my great support,” he said.
Djokovic will play American wildcard Jenson Brooksby in the Round of 16 on Monday.
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Lakshya Chopra
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