Djokovic Overcomes Back Pain and Advances in the US Open, Equals Federer

In a remarkable performance at the US Open, Novak Djokovic, at 38 years old, demonstrated his experience by defeating Cam Norrie in an exciting match that took him to the fourth round. With this achievement, Djokovic becomes the oldest tennis player to reach this stage of the tournament since Jimmy Connors did it in 1991, also at 38 years old. Djokovic, who showed signs of a back injury at the beginning of the match, managed to win with scores of 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2 and 6-3. His performance in the service was key, achieving 18 aces, which according to his own words, was his best performance so far in the tournament. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, although facing physical difficulties that required medical attention, managed to recover to advance to the round of 16 for the 69th time in a major tournament, equaling Roger Federer’s record. His next rival will be the German Jan-Lennard Struff, coming from the qualifying phase.

I am well. I am as young as ever and as strong as ever.

Novak Djokovic

During the first set, Djokovic requested medical assistance due to back problems. Despite this, he managed to hold his serve and win the first set. In the changeover of the second set, Djokovic received a back massage and was attended by a doctor. This situation marks the third time in a Grand Slam tournament this season that Djokovic has been affected by an injury during a match.

The US Open represents Djokovic’s first tournament since then, and he has faced some challenges in his first three matches. Djokovic joked that his team wanted him to suffer on the court so he could accumulate more playing time.