Novak Djokovic began his campaign to win a record 25th Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win over Radu Albot at the US Open on Monday.
The four-time champion, playing for the first time since claiming Olympic gold two weeks ago, defeated the Moldovan qualifier 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Djokovic, seeking his 25th Grand Slam title and his first since his victory at Flushing Meadows last year, wasn’t his sharpest self.
But he was more than a match for 138th-ranked Albot, breaking the Moldovan six times on the way to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
He notched a men’s record 78th match win on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he said the “electric” energy of the night session was unlike any other.
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“The night sessions here are best in the world,” said Novak Djokovic, who capped the action on a day that drew a record 74,641 spectators according to the US Tennis Association.
That included a day-session crowd of 42,886 and a record-setting night-session crowd of 31,775.
“There’s an incredible energy, and with the new rule this year that the crowd can move around, there are a lot of things happening,” the four-time champion said.
Seeded second behind Jannik Sinner, Djokovic is vying to become the first man to repeat in New York since Roger Federer won five straight US Opens from 2004-2008.
He’s coming off an emotional triumph at the Paris Olympics, but Djokovic has yet to capture a Grand Slam title this year.
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