Djokovic started the match by breaking the overmatched Frenchman, and he never let up, finishing the first set in 23 minutes with a thunderous ace.
Novak Djokovic In his successful comeback to the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic defeated Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3 on Monday to retake the top spot in the global rankings and move one step closer to Margaret Court’s record-setting total of 24 Grand Slam victories.
Due to his lack of a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic was unable to compete in last year’s tournament. He has also not been spotted on the Flushing Meadows hard courts since losing to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 final. And as the 36-year-old Serb emerged from the tunnel onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, cheering spectators let him know they had missed him. As he welcomed the applause of a record audience of over 30,000 people, which included former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, it was evident that the three-time winner had missed them as well.
Having just defeated his youthful adversary Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Open final, Djokovic, who was ranked 84th, arrived in New York on a high note. Djokovic started the match by breaking the overmatched Frenchman, and he never let up, finishing the first set in 23 minutes with a thunderous ace.
To start the second set, Djokovic broke Muller for the fourth time. He then went up 2-0 until Muller finally held service, lifting both hands in delight as the audience cheered.
But as Djokovic finished off the second with a devastating forehand, there weren’t many people cheering. In the third game, Muller shown more drive and even tied the score at 3-3 before Djokovic grabbed command and broke the Frenchman again to win the set and the championship. Despite the fact that the U.S. Open has just begun, Djokovic’s victory
