New York: Novak Djokovic created history at the age of 38 by advancing to his 64th Grand Slam quarter-final after defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 at the US Open.
The dominant win made him the oldest man to reach all four Grand Slam quarter-finals in a single season, but the milestone came at a personal cost, his absence from his daughter’s birthday celebration.
Djokovic admitted the family sacrifice was difficult, saying his daughter was ‘not very happy’ about him missing the party. “I’ll try to win if I’m here. At least I’m going to try to win and give her that kind of present,” he said, adding that he planned to send her special gifts and surprises.
Novak Djokovic reflects on being the oldest man to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Jimmy Connors' legendary run in 1991. pic.twitter.com/Zhig3JTbNY
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The match, lasting 109 minutes inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, highlighted Djokovic’s tactical superiority and experience. He broke Struff’s serve six times and neutralized the German’s primary weapon, his powerful serve, despite Struff entering the match with the tournament’s second-highest ace tally at 66.
Djokovic himself struck 12 aces and won 79 percent of his first-serve points, out-serving his opponent impressively.
Reflecting on his performance, Djokovic said that, “It definitely helps if you serve well. I just saw the stats, I out-served one of the guys who had the most aces during the tournament this year, so that’s a great stat. Obviously, that helps make my life easier on the court.”
Struff, ranked 144th, had pulled off notable wins over seeded players Holger Rune (11th) and Frances Tiafoe (17th) to reach his first-ever US Open fourth round but could not mount any real challenge against Djokovic. He managed just 19 winners compared to 32 unforced errors.
The contest also made history as the oldest men’s singles match from the fourth round onward in the US Open’s professional era, with the two players’ combined ages totalling 73 years and 60 days.
During the encounter, Djokovic received physio treatment on his right shoulder and forearm, but appeared largely untroubled. Despite looking ahead to a potential blockbuster semi-final against world number two Carlos Alcaraz, the 24-time Grand Slam champion stressed he was focused only on his quarter-final against American Taylor Fritz.
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