Djokovic: I Had To ‘Find Holes’ In Brooksby’s Game
It is one feat to take a set off Novak Djokovic at a major. It takes a monumental step up to outlast the World No. 1 and carry that momentum to victory on a Grand Slam stage.
#NextGenATP American Jenson Brooksby rode a blistering start and the energy from his home crowd to blitz the opening set of his first ATP Head2Head showdown with the Serbian in his first outing on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night. But as seven contenders previously this season discovered, a one-set advantage did not transfer to the upset as Djokovic found his groove 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
“He played a perfect first set. Everything he intended to do he executed it perfectly,” Djokovic said. “On my end, I was just trying to find a rhythm, trying to read his game, trying to understand where I can find holes in his game and start to attack and shift the momentum to my side.”
Djokovic began to turn the match in his favour midway through a torrid battle in the second set, a point of the match at which he admitted he needed to impose himself. It was a timely reminder of the physicality and mentality required to go the distance with the world’s best.
“I really wanted him to feel my presence on the court. I wanted the energy to shift on my side because he was a better player for a set and a half. He had the momentum,” Djokovic said. “I felt like that was the point where, OK, now I got him. He also was struggling a little bit physically at one point. I wanted to wear him down and it worked.”
Twenty-five matches down, the top seed stands three matches from the Grand Slam. A third straight major championship showdown against sixth seed Matteo Berrettini is his next hurdle in his 11th US Open quarter-final. Like Brooksby, in the Wimbledon final, Berrettini took the opening set only for the Serbian to reel him in.
Djokovic Digs Deep To Fend Off Brooksby At US Open“[He’s the] hammer of tennis. Next to [Juan Martin] del Potro, probably the hardest hitter of serve and forehand,” Djokovic said. “He's got the lethal serve-plus-one game. He's already established as a top player.
“Without a doubt, he played a… semi-final here a couple years ago, final in Wimbledon. That was a tough four-setter. If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he's tough. He's tough on any surface to play against.
"I've had some really close matches with him at [Roland Garros] and Wimbledon recently. We're going to play the third Grand Slam in a row against each other. Hopefully the result will be the same as the previous two.”