Novak Djokovic almost slipped up at the 2023 US Open in New York, but the Serbian rallied to beat compatriot Laslo Djere in five sets.
After the match, Djokovic admitted that he gave himself a pep talk after the first two sets, being very angry with how he played. The score at the time was 6-4 6-4 for Djere as he looked in complete control of the match.
Now, obviously, we all know better by now, and most of us assumed that a comeback in some shape or form would happen, and it did. Djokovic won the third set 6-1 and then the 4th with the same score being more merciful in the final set.
The first two sets saw Djere play really well and Djokovic just not finding his top game. Once a potential loss appeared on the horizon, Djokovic got serious, and that was pretty much it. After the taxing five-set late-nigh match, he spoke about his message to the rest of the field.
Well, look, of course winning a match is always better than losing a match. It's as simple as that. I think the message is sent to the rest of the field that obviously I'm still able to play five sets deep at night. Coming from two sets down always sends a strong message to the future opponents.
At the same time I'm not really wanting to be in this position, to be honest. I prefer a straight-set win. Hopefully I can get back on that track in the next match.
The comeback was a great one, but as he said, he doesn't really want to endure this every match. It's going to get tougher with every match, but nobody really expects him to face too many difficulties until the final, where he is likely to face Carlos Alcaraz.
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