From the start, the Greek track held firm in the huge Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world. He won his first service match with some effort, but two games later Djokovic took a break. The Serbian title favorite used his second set point at 5-2.

The game was the same in the second set. Djokovic quickly lost 3-0, but the Greek track actually made up for the break deficit and came back to 4-3. Djokovic, meanwhile, was angry with a loud spectator and annoyed at having raised his level.

The third set was tied at 2-2, but after a break from Djokovic with some love play, it ended pretty quickly. The three-time US Open winner had to get rid of three break points in a row in Game 6 of the third set. After over an hour and a half he finished it with an ace. Djokovic had thirteen aces, the Greek track hit five.

The Greek track had already forgotten to participate in the US Open after the problems of obtaining a visa for the US Open. He traveled to New York a little over a week ago and “had less than ideal preparation.” ,, If you had told me last week that I played the second round here against Novak Djokovic at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, I would have immediately signed my name and probably several others, ”Greekpoor said after his 6-2 6 -3 6 – 2 defeats against the world number 1.

While almost all of the participants have been in the United States for weeks, the Greek track has only had a few days to prepare in the United States for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. ,, Exactly a week ago I was still training on clay and had no confidence that everything would be okay, ”said the world number 121, who has already played tournaments in Iran and therefore needed more. visa to enter the United States The loss of his passport caused problems.

,, Finally, on Thursday I received an email from the American Tennis Association telling me that I could go after all. Then I quickly booked a ticket and it was very stressful. I received the draw five minutes before the flight. At first I thought I would play against Djokovic in the first round.

Before meeting Djokovic, the Greek track had to defeat the German Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round. It worked, in five sets, which allowed the Greek track to show itself to the world. ,, Do I feel like I’ve shown the best version of myself? Not far from here. I wasn’t feeling well at all, but maybe I can’t expect it on my own. It was my first time on this big track and I could only warm up on it. The track was much slower than the other tracks and it took a long time to get used to, ”said the Greek track.

“I heard people at home say it looked good, but it didn’t feel good to me. I would have loved to play here on a hard court for a week or two, but I must also be very happy. Being on the plane was already a bonus. Hopefully there will be more competitions on this track.

The Greek track was selected by Davis Cup captain Paul Haarhuis for the meeting with Uruguay in South America in two weeks. Next week, the number 2 in the Netherlands is still on the list of participants in a challenger tournament in Austria, but he is considering unsubscribing.

The Greek track was the fifth Dutchman to face Djokovic, one of the best tennis players of all time. Dennis van Scheppingen and Melle van Gemerden both beat Djokovic when the Serbian was at the start of his career, Robin Haase was unlucky three times and Thiemo de Bakker was also beaten in large numbers by the Serbian.

Djokovic is aiming for his 21st Grand Slam title in New York, overtaking rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Both withdrew from the US Open.

On Friday, Botic van de Zandschulp will play in the men’s tournament. He will face Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in the third round.