Novak Djokovic Prevails in Five Sets

Filed under: U.S. Open, ATPThird-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia withstood the blistering heat at Flushing Meadows to defeat his compatriot Viktor Troicki in first-round U.S. Open action 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was Djokovic's perseverance through the heat, however, that was the biggest storyline of the three hour, 40 minute, five-set match.

Djokovic and hot temperatures have mixed like water and oil this year. Djokovic suffers from a serious allergy condition and it has severely hampered him throughout the season. He was forced to retire in Belgrade earlier in the year at his hometown Serbia Open because of allergies. He has been breathing heavily all spring and summer, and Tuesday's victory was a huge step in the right direction for the Serb.

Down two sets and a break, Djokovic shook off the heat and rallied back in the fourth set with consistent play. His unforced errors steadily declined and he was able to outlast Troicki in the long match. It was Troicki, not Djokovic, who became noticeably fatigued toward the end of the match.

Troicki committed 61 unforced errors, while Djokovic had 43. Many of Troicki's errors came in the latter portion of the match when Djokovic had his back against the wall. Djokovic steadily generated winners and allowed his opponent to falter.

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