Djokovic surpasses Federer's record at Grand Slam

(Dan Tri) - Novak Djokovic came from behind to win 3-1 against Zachary Svajda on the night of August 27 to enter the third round of the 2025 US Open. The Serbian tennis player set a new record for the number of times he has reached the third round at a Grand Slam tournament.

Novak Djokovic continued his journey at the 2025 US Open with a dramatic second-round victory, despite his less-than-convincing form. The Serbian defeated American Zachary Svajda 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, thereby maintaining his perfect second-round record in New York and reaching the third round of the tournament for the 19th time.

This was Djokovic's second straight match at Flushing Meadows. After struggling to beat Learner Tien in the first round, he continued to struggle against Svajda. Djokovic made 14 unforced errors in the first set and even fell behind 1-3 in the third. However, the 38-year-old's composure helped him increase his intensity and benefited from Svajda's foot problems, which slowed his opponent's serve significantly at the end of the second set and throughout the third and fourth sets.

Djokovic won consecutive victories at the 2025 US Open despite still facing difficulties (Photo: Getty).

Djokovic admitted about his performance after the match: “To be honest, it wasn’t great. I wasn’t really happy with my performance in the first set of the match, but credit to Zach for playing some really good tennis. It was unfortunate that he got injured at the end of the second set, but credit to him for staying on the court. Obviously he couldn’t serve as well as he did in the first set and a half, I wish him all the best.”

With this victory, Djokovic set a new record of reaching the third round at a Grand Slam for the 75th time, surpassing Roger Federer's record of 74. The former world No. 1 is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, and his first US Open title since 2023. His next opponent will be either Cameron Norrie or Francisco Comesana.

Djokovic also shared about the change in his physical condition: "I have changed a bit in the last few years. My fitness is wearing out faster than before. I have to deal with that, a lot of recovery off the court to try to achieve the highest level of performance for as many hours as possible."

Novak Djokovic has expressed surprise at his form, admitting he "felt bad" in his first-round win over Tien and continuing to experience "shaky" moments during his two-hour, 35-minute match against Svajda.

Djokovic is still looking for his 25th Grand Slam title (Photo: Getty).

In the first meeting between the two players, Djokovic lost the opening set when Svajda's powerful forehand was too much for the Serb to handle. Despite leveling the score after two sets, he was broken in the third with an unforced double fault.

However, the 22-year-old American, who had qualified through four qualifying matches to reach the main draw, could not maintain his momentum from the third set onwards. The world No. 145's slump allowed Djokovic to regain control and win the match.

Djokovic is now 28-9 on the season, highlighted by his 100th career title in Geneva in May. Despite reaching the semifinals of all three Grand Slams this year, he has yet to reach a final. The last time the Serb failed to reach a Grand Slam final in a season was in 2017.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/djokovic-vuot-qua-ky-luc-cua-ferderer-tai-grand-slam-20250828074329415.htm