It would take Djokovic quite a bit more work before he finally closed out the first set in 1 hour, 28 minutes and went on to finish off a 7-6 (7), 6-3 victory for a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals for the 14th straight year on Friday.
On Wednesday, Djokovic dispatched Italian wild card entry Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 6-2 to continue with his quest for a fifth Rome title and set up a third-round against countryman Filip Krajinovic.
The top-ranked Serb was mostly courteous with the chair umpire during a 6-3, 6-2 win over local wild-card entry Salvatore Caruso in his opening match at the Italian Open
The 87th-ranked Caruso defeated American qualifier Tennys Sandgren 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) Tuesday in the opening round at the empty Foro Italico
The incident eight days ago marked a stunning end to Djokovic’s 29-match winning streak and his bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.
A forgettable summer for the Serb, topped by the ill-fated incident at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on Sunday evening only further damaged the rise of Djokovic.
Carreño Busta didn’t hesitate after Sunday’s stunning default to grasp Djokovic’s hand — that is, after all, the standard way tennis players show sportsmanship and mutual respect at the end of a match, usually at the net.
Djokovic's exit means there will be a first-time Grand Slam champion in the men's draw, with Zverev among the contenders at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic posted an emotional message on Instagram after the ouster from the Grand Slam and said he will turn the incident into a lesson for his growth and evolution as player and human being.
Tournament referee Friemel didn't see what happened, and said he was not allowed to check a video replay, but was given a rundown by Egli and Tourte. Friemel said that even if Djokovic didn't intend to hurt the line judge, she was hurt, and that was enough to merit the ruling.
In men's singles, Djokovic defeated No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a match that lasted One hour and 42 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic began his bid for Grand Slam title No. 18 on Monday night by extending his season start to 24-0 with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Damir Dzumhur at Flushing Meadows.
Also against the proposal: the ATP men’s tour and the sport’s other governing bodies, including the WTA women’s tour and the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Djokovic tied Rafael Nadal’s record by earning his 35th title at a Masters 1000 tournament, overcoming a sluggish start to beat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Open final on Saturday and improve to 23-0 this season.
Tennis players never have had a union the way North American team sports do. Each player is considered an independent contractor.
With Federer recovering from his damaged knee and Nadal opting to sit out of the tournament in a bid to return for the French Open later next month, Djokovic has the perfect opportunity to extend his grand slam tally to 18 - one behind the Spaniard and two behind the Swiss.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event on Sunday because of his neck.
Djokovic remained in the singles draw, where he is seeded No. 1 and is scheduled to play his second-round match Monday. He received a first-round bye.
Djokovic initially complained about the U.S. Tennis Association’s plans to try to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic with such measures as limiting the size of players’ entourages, going so far as to say he didn’t know whether he would participate.
Djokovic was one of several tennis players who tested positive for COVID-19 during his Adria World Tour.
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