Novak Djokovic made his debut at the 2025 US Open yesterday and defeated young American talent Learner Tien in three sets at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the signals he sent out were not entirely positive.
The Serbian legend who had not played an official match since the Wimbledon Championships (having missed both the Canadian Open in Toronto and the Cincinnati Masters 1000) was dominant in the first and third sets, instead he struggled in the second set and admitted that he was worried about the condition of his body.
Already after the Wimbledon semifinal against Jannik Sinner, the former world number 1 had confided that his body no longer responds as in the past and that it is not easy to compete against rivals much younger than him as he is not at the top of his shape.
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Nole won on his debut
Giving a judgment on Nole's season so far has been quite difficult, given that he has had numerous ups and downs and has not played many tournaments. However, the 38-year-old from Belgrade lifted his 100th career trophy and reached the semifinals in the three Grand Slam tournaments played so far.
He still has the ability to raise his level when he really needs it, but it's clear to everyone that he also needs a bit of luck if he wants to become the oldest player ever to win a Major title (breaking the record held by Ken Rosewall).
Meanwhile, Novak confirmed that he is almost unbeatable in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments. He has lost on his debut in a Major only on two occasions during his career, most notably at the Australian Open in 2005 and 2006 (when he was still very young). This means that Djokovic has never lost in the first round in the last 75 Grand Slams he has played, further testament to the amazing longevity of a player who has made tennis history and continues to work to break other records. He will face Svajda in the next round.
