“Ruuuuuune.”
This is the resounding chant Novak Djokovic heard from the full house of Arthur Ashe Stadium in the first game of his march to history on Tuesday night. It was especially evident during a wild second set.
The crowd of 21,000 people at the open house in the United States was pulling hard for Holger Rune, the fist-pumping qualifier. The 18-year-old from Denmark started to feel the oats in the second set and equalized the first round match by 1-1 after an overflowing tiebreaker before losing, partly due to ramps.
Both Djokovic and Rune were confused by the songs at first, thinking they might have been booed. Not exactly.
“It wasn’t the perfect setting for me, I can tell you,” Djokovic said. “But I’ve been in these particular atmospheres before, so I knew how to handle it.”
This was no ride for the top male category. But any chance of Rune ruining Djokovic’s bid for the first men’s Grand Slam since 1969 ended in the middle of the third set.
Djokovic took control and Rune suddenly shrank and limped towards the goal. And the joy stopped.
Djokovic got a 6-1, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 6-1 victory, but raised questions about whether the 34-year-old Serb will get the crowd on his side in the next six matches – if it reaches all of them.
Djokovic is shooting for being the first man to win the top four in a year since Rod Laver captured Wimbledon, along with the Australian, French and American Open in 1969. Djokovic is also an Open World title. United States far from overtaking Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the historic record of major championships at 21.
Do Open fans want this to happen or not? Djokovic has always been less favored than Federer and Nadal.
“Obviously, you always want to have crowds behind you, but it’s not always possible,” Djokovic said. “There are things you can always trust, where you can go back when you experience turbulence. When too much is achieved, I have developed a mechanism where I feel able to achieve it mentally. “
Djokovic seemed strangely separated on the track, with no emotions, good or bad.
After Djokovic crossed into the first set, he pulled out and Rune’s play was lifted, with a plethora of daring throws and first-hand winners, punctuated by shaking their fists at the adoring crowd.
In the second set, Rune gained a 3-0 lead before the Serb retreated for four straight games to go up 4-3. Instead of caving, Rune improved. He broke Djokovic, forcing a tiebreaker.
“I was trying to feel the ball around here,” Djokovic said. “It’s not the best performance. But he played well in the second set. “
As the tiebreaker of the second set began, the crowd stood up and gave a standing ovation to the Dane. He jumped to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker with the crowd clearing “Ruuuuuuune” after every point he got, even after a double foul by Djokovic.
Although Djokovic concentrated within 6-5, he could not get out of the hole. After a long rally, Djokovic hit hard. The stadium exploded and Rune jumped, shaking his fists even further.
“I’ve never heard anything like it,” Rune said. “It simply came to our notice then [an] amazing feeling. I tried to give something to the crowd, fight for every point, be bombed. The crowd was amazing. I mean, I couldn’t have asked for more. “
Eventually, all those theatrical ones caused problems. It was 1-1 and here ended the discomfort of the storybook.
Djokovic started with hot and humid and maybe the adrenaline ruined Rune. He started to feel it in his legs and needed a coach after Djokovic went 4-1. Rune limped visibly as he resumed court. Ramps do not allow standard 10-minute injury waiting times.
Djokovic said generous words to Rule as they shook hands on the net: the Serb gave him a 5-0 lead in the fourth set with lazy performances.
He called Rune one of the “emerging stars.”
“It’s unfortunate to have gone through that,” Djokovic said. “I did not want to stop. I thought it would stop the end of the third. He continued with dignity and finished the match. He definitely deserved my respect. “
Djokovic will face another obscure player in the second round, the Netherlands Griekspoor Tallon.
It’s the calm before the storm. Djokovic may have to go through Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in his last three games. With or without the crowd.