By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Novak Djokovic stayed in the hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam trophy on Friday by quickly recovering from a lower back problem to beat unseeded Briton Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2 6-3 and reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
The 38-year-old’s battling victory under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium made him the oldest man to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows since American Jimmy Connors managed the feat at the same age in 1991.
Already the holder of the most Grand Slam titles (24) and match wins (395), Djokovic reached another milestone by surpassing Swiss maestro Roger Federer to become the man with the most hardcourt victories at the majors with his 192nd win.
The four-times New York winner also improved his record against Norrie to 7-0.
“I guess coming into the match, any match, you really want to win in straight sets without any drama and just ease through, but that’s not possible,” said Djokovic, who is playing in his first event since losing to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last month.
“My team wants me to suffer on the court so I can get some more minutes spent in match play. It’s good that I get tested. I hadn’t played any matches since Wimbledon and it’s been for us quite a long time, five to six weeks.
“I’m still trying to find my groove and my rhythm on court,” added the Serb, who said Friday’s performance was an improvement on his first two matches.
‘YOUNG AS EVER’
Djokovic wasted no time in heaping the pressure on Norrie and broke for a 4-3 lead with a forehand winner before launching the ninth of his 18 aces during the contest in the following game to consolidate his early advantage.
“I think it was probably the best serving performance of the tournament,” Djokovic added.
“So of course I’m glad. It’s probably one of the most, if not the most important shot in the game. Yeah, I’m glad how I executed that shot.”
Djokovic then began to feel the effects of a back problem after going up 5-4 and received treatment off the court before returning to serve out the opening set.
He called for more medical attention three games into the next set and his first-serve speed briefly dipped following that break in play.
However, he started to fire on all cylinders again and went toe-to-toe with Norrie, who had to fight back from a two-point deficit early in the tiebreak to go level in the match.
A sublime drop shot helped Norrie break in the opening game of the third set but Djokovic struck back to win three straight games, pausing along the way to bark at someone in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands to stay quiet.
Djokovic continued to reassert himself from there, closing out the set comfortably and fully hitting his stride in the fourth to maintain his 100% record against Norrie and book a meeting with Jan-Lennard Struff.
“You have some ups and downs. I guess you don’t want to reveal too much (about the injury) to the rivals listening and watching,” Djokovic added.
“I’m good, man. I’m as young as ever and strong as ever.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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