Paris Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic reached the third round of the US Open after Laslo Djere retired in the third set.
According to the US Open, defending champion Djokovic was at 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 when Djere said he quits due to injury on Wednesday, August 28, at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After the 29-year-old Serbs’ retirement, the 24 Grand Slam winner bagged his 90th win at the US Open.
The 37-year-old Serbian tennis star expressed, “It's not what we want to see. He's such a good player in these conditions, and the second set should have been his; he was 4-2 up.”
He continued, “It was a big fight, over two hours for two sets. I served awful. Without a serve, you have to grind, you have to run. I had to rely on my baseline game.”
After advancing to the next round, Djokovic said, “Of course, I have to be happy with a win, and in the important moments, I played one more ball over the net than him.”
He noted, “The matches are only going to get tougher from here. But I’ll be fine. I’ll find my way as I have many times in my career.”
Djokovic will now face Australian tennis player Alexei Popyrin in the round 3.
