NEW YORK :Novak Djokovic made Grand Slam history at the age of 38 on Sunday with a commanding 6-3 6-3 6-2 victory over Jan-Lennard Struff, but the triumph came at a cost – his quarter-final match falls on his daughter’s birthday.
“Yeah, she was not very happy about it, me being absent from the birthday party. Don’t remind me of that, please,” said Djokovic, who became the oldest man to reach all four Grand Slam quarter-finals in a single season.
The victory also moved Djokovic into his 64th Grand Slam quarter-final, extending his all-time record, while keeping alive his pursuit of a record 25th major title.
But the Serbian’s mind was clearly on family matters as he spoke about the sacrifice required at this stage of his career.
“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,” Djokovic said.
“I’m going to send some nice presents, as well, nice surprises for her birthday party.”
The match itself was a masterclass in experience over power during the 109-minute encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic dominated from the opening game, breaking the 35-year-old German’s serve six times. His own serve proved decisive against a player who entered the match with the tournament’s second-highest ace count at 66.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion fired 12 aces while winning 79 per cent of first-serve points and completely neutralized Struff’s biggest weapon.
“It definitely helps if you serve well. I think I had a great serving performance in the last round and also tonight,” Djokovic said.
“I just saw the stats, I out-served one of the guys that 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 in the world, had defeated two seeded players – Holger Rune (11th) and Frances Tiafoe (17th) – to reach his first U.S. Open fourth round but was unable to put any serious pressure on the seventh seed.
The German managed only 19 winners and committed 32 unforced errors.
Their combined age of 73 years and 60 days made this the oldest U.S. Open men’s singles match in the fourth round or later during the professional era.
Djokovic, who now has a 36-0 record against qualifiers at Grand Slams, required treatment from the physio on his right shoulder and forearm during the match but did not appear overly troubled by the issues.
While he is heading towards a potential semi-final against world number two Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic said he was not looking beyond his quarter-final opponent Taylor Fritz.
“For me, last couple of years, I learned one thing right now is to take really one match at a time,” he added.
