Novak Djokovic battles humidity to move into US Open second round
Novak Djokovic made a winning start to his US Open campaign in searing temperatures in New York.
The Serb has roared back into form after overcoming his troublesome elbow injury, and won his 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year.
He has been heavily backed to add another Grand Slam crown to that tally this season, and he recovered from a second-set blip to beat Marton Fucsovics 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0.
Furnace-like temperatures at Flushing Meadows was clearly bothering Djokovic, with him calling a medical timeout on the court.
However, he battled through to set up a clash with Tennys Sandgren.
.@DjokerNole prevails 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 during a hot afternoon match against Fucsovicshttps://t.co/TzJsERuxQd#USOpen pic.twitter.com/Xrr3UwEZ9N
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2018
He will be joined in the second round by Marin Cilic who was the beneficiary of Marius Copil withdrawing mid-match with an arm injury.
Hyeon Chung is also through after enduring the sweltering conditions to outlast Ricardas Berankis 4-6 7-6 6-0 2-0 before the Lithuanian retired.
More from Tennis365:
Latest
-
Tennis FeaturesSix ways clay courts are superior to hard courts
Clay courts often get a bad rap with the odd player gripe repeated endlessly in the media, but the surface has a number of big upsides.
-
Tennis NewsWATCH: Intense Felix Auger-Aliassime brushes off Laver Cup spat with Gael Monfils
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils shared some heated moments after the Canadian complained to the umpire during their Laver Cup clash.
-
ATP TourMore questions for Andy Murray to answer after another agonising defeat
Andy Murray blew an early lead as he crashed to defeat against Aslan Karatsev in the last 16.
-
Tennis NewsRoger Federer reveals what he misses about tennis as Rafael Nadal surprises him
Speaking in an interview with former world No 1 Jim Courier at the Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on how his life chan
-
US OpenTop coach spotted Coco Gauff’s potential very early on
Patrick Mouratoglou has revealed that Coco Gauff left a big impression on him during their first meeting.
-
Tennis NewsBritish star set for rankings breakthrough after a decade on the ATP Tour
Liam Broady set to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
-
Tennis NewsGuadalajara proves a balm for Maria Sakkari’s suffering once again
Maria Sakkari feels that the bond between herself and Guadalajara has grown closer after another deep run in the Mexican city.
-
Tennis NewsNovak Djokovic hits raw nerve with tennis chiefs after latest controversial comments
Djokovic has made some radical proposals that would ensure the huge amounts of cash being generated by gambling goes to tennis players.
-
Tennis NewsBen Shelton salutes the three players who have taken him under their wing
Ben Shelton has paid homage to the brotherhood of the top American men in the game.
-
Tennis NewsCan Cameron Norrie still reach the ATP Tour finals powered by strong Asian swing?
Cameron Norrie is out to reach the ATP Tour finals this term.