Opponent gives up

US Open: Novak Djokovic wins “without serve”

Novak Djokovic wins, but is not at all satisfied with his service game.(Bild: AP/Frank Franklin II)

The sweltering heat in New York is also taking its toll on the tennis stars. However, defending champion Novak Djokovic defied the conditions on Wednesday and advanced to the 3rd round of the US Open. His service caused him problems: "When you play without a serve, you have to work hard."

Djokovic didn't have to wait that long in Arthur Ashe Stadium, as his Serbian compatriot Laslo Djere retired in the third set due to injury.

After beating Djere 6:4, 6:4, 2:0, Djokovic spoke of a "great fight" that the two had put up. "It's not what the spectators want that someone has to give up," said the 24-time Grand Slam champion. "But he obviously had an injury that kept him off the tour for some time and he's still struggling to get back to that level physically. He's such a good player, especially in these conditions."

Trouble over serve
The "Djoker" was not at all satisfied with his service game. He made eight double faults in the relatively short match and only 47 percent of his first serves landed in the court. "When you play without a serve, you have to work hard, you have to run and I had to rely on my baseline game," said Djokovic, who will now face Australian Alexei Popyrin.