Today, Novak Djokovic sits at the top of the tennis circuit, with the addition of that elusive Olympic gold. Although he may not hold the title of World No.1, Djokovic has always risen to the occasion whenever needed. The most recent one was at the Paris Olympics, where he won an intensive battle against Carlos Alcaraz for the gold. As it is often said in the tennis community, one cannot count Djokovic out until the match is over. He has the power and the grit to turn the table around at the last moment. And sometimes these qualities have helped him escape the dreaded early round exit scare, one at the US Open 2023 itself, against Laslo Djere!

A qualifier turning into a dark horse to almost oust one of the Big 3 at their best, well that’s certainly a headline! And last year at the flushing meadows, Djere was the star of the moment. He started strong from the get-go against Djokovic in the R3 and won the first two sets. It’s never easy to make a comeback from two sets down to win the match, but if anyone could do it, it was the 24-time Grand Slam Champion. So, the match was far from done.

Back in the day, Djere played an aggressive game, from the 1st serve of the game. His approach turned the tides in his favor, as Djokovic struggled to find his footing against his compatriot. Consequently, Djere ran away with the first two sets with relative ease, (4-6, 4-6). And it was this moment that struck a chord with Djokovic, as it was a do-or-die moment. What followed next was an ultimate comeback. Djokovic turned his beast mode on, as he swiftly finished the match in his favor with a dominating score: 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.

It’s common to see an intensive clash between the top players. But it’s not every day that lower-ranked players (Djere, ranked World No. 38 at that time) pose a threat to Djokovic’s dominance, making him dig deeper into his energy reserves to get past his opponent. However, that match is in the past now, and the compatriots are scheduled to meet again after almost a year, at the US Open R2. How would it go for Djokovic, who is riding high on his Paris Olympics success and played his first hard-court match directly at the Flushing Meadows R1?

It has been over 8 years since Djokovic made an early-round exit at the Grand Slam. Could Djere’s last year’s experience come in handy against the Serbian tennis legend?

The story of Novak Djokovic’s last early-round exit at the Grand Slam

If Djere had defeated Djoker last year, he would have become the first man since 2016 to hand him an early exit in a Grand Slam. Though Djokovic magnificently got past his threat. But back in 2016 at the Wimbledon Championship, Djoker faced the American Sam Querrey as his R3 opponent. While everyone anticipated it to be the cakewalk for the Serb, it was anything but that.

Querrey started strong from the first game itself and claimed the first two sets. However, Djokovic tried to make a comeback as he snatched the third set from the American. But it wasn’t supposed to be Djoker’s day, as Querrey crushed every hope for the Serbian ace and went on to claim the 4th set, hence concluding the match in his favor and handing Djokovic a heartbreak. Had Djere emulated Querrey at the US Open 2023, he would have broken Djokovic’s sophisticated record.

Djokovic has claimed 24 Grand Slams in the last 2 decades. The Serb is looking to extend his tally to 25 and sit at the top, instead of sharing the legendary achievement with Margaret Court. Can Djoker accomplish the feat at the US Open 2024? Or will he make eternal peace with his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.