Novak Djokovic may have advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion said he was struggling to solve his own tennis puzzle after a hard-fought victory over Zachary Svajda.
Djokovic dropped the opening set before rallying to win 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday, but his post-match demeanour suggested a man wrestling with his tennis demons rather than celebrating another step toward a potential fifth U.S. Open title.
“I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but, you know, you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way,” Djokovic said.
“I’m just trying to solve the riddle once I’m on the court.”
When asked about the frustration he showed during his match, Djokovic was characteristically blunt.
“It’s not like I’m not finding joy on the court competing. I enjoy competing, but I don’t enjoy not playing well. That’s why I put extra pressure on myself and my team to be better the next day, the next match,” he said.
“It’s not a motivation thing. It’s just like me a bit frustrated with my game, and then I kind of go through stuff internally. You don’t want to know the details of what I’m going through and telling myself.”
Djokovic, who is seeking to move past Margaret Court and become the all-time leader for Grand Slam singles titles, has won every honour that tennis has to offer, claiming 100 singles titles across his illustrious career.
He completed the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2016 and added an Olympic gold medal to his trophy collection last year.
“There’s always something to prove once you step out on court, which is that you’re still able to win a tennis match,” he said. “Not to get too philosophical about it, but I still love the feeling of competition, the drive I feel on court.
“I get really hard on myself a lot of the time because I expect myself to play always at the highest level, which is obviously not always possible.
“I still have the desire to compete with the young guys. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here playing.”
Djokovic described achieving the career Grand Slam as primarily bringing “relief” rather than pure joy.
“I have put so much pressure on myself, and then of course, there are always expectations of the people around, is this the year, and it’s over and over again.
“So when that was done, the primary sensation or emotion was just a relief.”
Up next for the seventh seed is a third-round clash with Briton Cameron Norrie.
