Plenty of long matches today on Day Two of the U.S. Open, but the biggest story was the over 100 degree on-court temperatures the players had to deal with as for the first time in the event’s history, an extreme heat policy was put into effect to stop play as needed. But what was needed by some big names today wasn’t an air conditioner enough times and set as possible to find their games as many exhibited first round rustiness despite the long hard court season. But probably the biggest win was for a guy many have ragged on in the past as not being able to handle the heat. Instead of folding over as expected, Novak Djokovic instead fought back and showed everybody that to count him out of contention just yet in New York would be a foolish mistake.
Some mild upsets did take place today including Jeremy Chardy’s three-set dismissal of Latvian wonder Ernests Gulbis who later complained of dealing with a virus and severe heartburn during the match although apparently it didn’t stop him from chatting up a female attendant on his way off of Court 13. Other upsets included Arnaud Clement taking out Marcos Baghdatis in five long sets while last year’s quarterfinalist Kateryna Bondarenko took out No. 8 seed Na Li on the women’s side.
Whether from the heat or just that it was their first day out on the big courts of Flushing Meadows, the majority of the big names got through mostly through being fitter than their opponents. From Svetlana Kuznetsova finally overpowering the ageless Kimiko Date Krumm, Mardy Fish showing off his newfound fitness to hand Jan Halek two bagel sets in a five set win and Jelena Jankovic who played a passive match but lucked out when rising star Simona Halep ran out of gas before she literally ran down every ball Jankovic hit in a three set losing effort. And even though fitness wasn’t a factor in Maria Sharapova’s three set win over Jarmila Groth, it was the fact that it two hours almost for Sharapova to finally start dictating points and hit winners that proved she still needs to get her game in a new gear if she want to win her second U.S. Open. But at least she kept the double faults down to two for the match.
But it was Djokovic’s five set win over friend and Davis Cup teammate Viktor Troicki after going down two sets to one that has to feel good for Djokovic, even if he had a little help from Troicki, who up a break in the fourth set, seemed to realize that he was about to beat his friend and let Djokovic back in the match. Djokovic, who has long endured criticism about his past retirements in big matches at Grand Slams due to heat exhaustion or injury, kept his focus in the sweltering conditions even though many expected him to fall away as it were all part of the script. Add in Troicki’s good serving numbers and it felt like it was Troicki’s match to lose. Which he did. Later Djokovic said, “The whole match he was serving unbelievable. I never saw him serve that way, which gave him a lot of free points, a lot of aces, winners, things like that. So I just tried to tell myself, Hang in there, you know, the chance will come. He will get tired, as well. Under those conditions, in a long match, he did. When I got the chance, I used it. You know, I got the match.
Djokovic’s win, even if takes something out of him for his next match, will silence his detractors who keep wanting to use the “lack of fitness” tag as a way to deny Djokovic’s top three ranking. It’s too early yet to say if Djokovic can make another run to the semifinals as he did last year, but one thing is for sure, never count him out.
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