CNN –
Novak Djokovic survived a third-round scare at the US Open and fought back to win a five-set match 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere to win.
It was nearly 2 a.m. when the match finally ended, but much of the crowd had stayed to watch Djokovic complete his comeback from two sets down for the eighth time in a Grand Slam, according to the ATP Tour.
The victory ensured that Djokovic’s hopes of winning his 24th Grand Slam title remain as he seeks to equal Margaret Court’s overall record and extend his own men’s tournament record.
“I hope you enjoyed the show, I didn’t enjoy it that much, especially in the first two sets,” Djokovic told the audience, according to the ATP Tour. “It was one of the toughest games I’ve played here in many years. Kudos to Laslo for playing the best tennis I have ever seen from him.”
Djere’s serve in the first two sets was impenetrable, even for Djokovic, considered one of the best returners in the game. The No. 32 seed held every serve game in the first two sets and won 18 of his 20 first serve points in the second set, according to the US Open.
And then Djokovic showed all the tenacity and skill that led him to 23 Grand Slam titles.
Trailing by two sets and in a major upset, he broke Djere’s serve for the first time in the match at the first opportunity in the third set and secured break point after an astonishing 26-shot rally.
This came after Djokovic “gave himself a little pep talk in the mirror” as he left the court during the break after the first two sets, he said afterwards, according to Portal.
“I had to force myself to stand up and lighten the mood a little. I’ve done it a few times in my career and it worked. A few times it didn’t work, but tonight it did and I’m grateful.”
From that point on, Djokovic appeared to be in control of the match, even when Djere nearly broke in the third game of the fourth set.
The 36-year-old will next face Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo in the fourth round.