Novak Djokovic made a promising start against Mariano Navone, breaking the Argentine’s serve at the first opportunity. However, his 4-1 lead quickly disappeared as he began to struggle in the humid conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A lengthy rally appeared to drain Djokovic’s energy, leaving him unable to recover between points. His serve and groundstrokes lost speed, and after the ninth game he called for the doctor and requested tablets to ease the problem.
Djokovic struggles in humid conditions
Djokovic continued to look distressed as the opening set reached a tie-break. He wearily bowed his head and bent over between points while Navone stayed focused and struck first after one hour and 13 minutes.
An eerie hush fell over Arthur Ashe Stadium as the crowd grew increasingly concerned for the four-time champion. Djokovic’s physical problems persisted, but he improved enough—apparently aided by the cooler conditions under the roof—to level the match.
His more animated start to the third set suggested that Djokovic was beginning to feel more like himself. He also took advantage of a poor service game from Navone to break for 5-4 and move ahead.
Those are the positions from which Djokovic would normally go on to win, even when struggling physically. His inability to close out the match against Navone, who had never progressed beyond the second round in New York, offered another indication of the 38-year-old’s declining powers.
What had been a closely contested match quickly slipped away from Djokovic, becoming a difficult watch for the thousands of spectators still inside Ashe as midnight approached local time.
The atmosphere became subdued once again as it became clear that Djokovic would not be able to escape trouble on this occasion.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
