Novak Djokovic's rollercoaster debut: A warning, a wild tiebreak and a strong victory

Novak Djokovic began his US Open campaign with a decisive victory over American Learner Tien to advance to the second round. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had no trouble dispatching the local teenager with a score of 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-2, moving forward in his quest for a fifth US Open title.

The world No. 7 is looking to improve on his 2024 performance, where he reached the third round and was defeated by the Australian Alexei Popyrin. It was a tough challenge at the start of the tournament for Djokovic, especially facing a young local star accustomed to victories over big names this season, with as many as four wins over top-10 players in his debut season. However, it was of little use against a commanding Nole, who capitalized on his opportunities and avoided any major setbacks.

The match started in the best possible way for the Serb, who easily won his first service game and then secured a break on his first opportunity. Immediately afterward, Djokovic faced his first service game troubles and a break point against him when he received a controversial time violation warning. The Serb engaged in a heated exchange with the chair umpire, and the warning momentarily paused the match, but he managed to hold serve to take a 3-0 lead.

Tien was able to react by winning his first service game of the match, but it was short-lived, as Djokovic quickly regained control and took three consecutive games—including a second break—to win the set 6-1. The former world No. 1 needed just 25 minutes to clinch a convincing first set, in which he won 74% of his service points and 60% of his return points.

The second set tightened up after Tien started with a break point, but Djokovic managed to save it. The American fought his way out of a tough spot early on, and a little later, Djokovic had another break opportunity, but the lefty was able to fend it off to stay in the match.

Tien went up 3-2 and started to see his first real chances when he got to 0-40 on Nole's serve with the score at 2-3. However, the 38-year-old star managed to overcome the tense moment and stay even with a series of good first serves. The Serb maintained an effectiveness of over 80% on his first serve, but his second serves were exploited by his opponent, who soon after had a set point with Djokovic serving at 4-5.

Everything came down to the tie-break, where both players struggled on serve. In fact, they got to 3-3 on a series of mini-breaks from both sides. The Serb showed his greater effectiveness after the change of ends and won the last four points in a row to take a tight second set 7-6(3). The teenager had more opportunities to take the lead but could never convert.

The third set saw Tien's efforts throughout the match rewarded as he took advantage of his rival's lack of focus to get an early break. The American held the lead in a set for the first time, but he couldn't sustain the result, as Djokovic quickly responded with a break of his own.

The Serb seized the momentum, using his experience to look superior to his opponent with good service games and constantly using drop shots to complicate things for Tien. Djokovic wasn't fully effective on his serve, but he was notable on the return, getting up to three consecutive breaks to go from 0-1 to 5-1. Nole had the chance to close out the victory on his serve, but his nerves got the better of him, and after a couple of double faults, Tien got one of the breaks back.

While it seemed like Tien could push for a comeback, Djokovic wouldn't let the match slip away. Nole missed a match point on his serve, but he wouldn't let that happen twice. In the next game, Tien struggled with his second serve and gave his opponent an opportunity, which Djokovic capitalized on this time. Djokovic closed out the victory with a great forehand, taking the win 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 without needing to bring out his best tennis, as his class was enough to advance to the second round. His next challenge will be against local qualifier Zachary Svajda, who just secured his first Grand Slam main draw victory against fellow qualifier Zsombor Piros.