Novak Djokovic scored his third consecutive comeback win at the 2022 Serbia Open, with Karen Khachanov being the latest victim, as the Serbian won 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The Serbian has made a habit of starting slow this week in Belgrade, and he did it once again against Khachanov. It's nothing unusual for Djokovic to lose his serve early in a match, but unlike most times, he takes a bit more to warm up this week.
It never really came in the first set, as the Serbian struggled to find a consistent rhythm. It may also be because he hasn't played much this year, which is also one of the reasons why he's trying to find his top form in Belgrade in his own tennis center.
Khachanov played rather well in the first set, holding on to his serve and breaking to win the set 6-4. In the second set, Djokovic applied what he learned in the first set and turned the match around.
No matter how many times he does it, it never stops being amazing how he simply turns around a match without seemingly doing anything special, just being super consistent and forcing opponents to make mistakes.
Khachanov completely lost his chances after dropping his serve early, and Djokovic was able to add another one for the 6-1 finish in the second set. The black hole Khachanov found himself in did not get better in the third set as the Serbian broke him in the third set's first service game.
The crowd supported Djokovic, and he felt all the support. He looked sharper and sharper, with some impeccable winners at times. The final set was another thrashing as Djokovic rolled to the finish line with 6-2.