Everyone should know by now to never count out Novak Djokovic. No matter how big a deficit he faces. No matter how poorly he might be playing.
And so it made sense that Djokovic would come all the way back from a two-set deficit to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round of the US Open, avoiding what would have been his earliest exit there since 2006.
“Of course, winning a match is always better than losing a match. It’s as simple as that,” said Djokovic, who next faces Borna Gojo, a 25-year-old qualifier from Croatia making his US Open debut. “I think the message is sent to the rest of the field that I’m still able to play five sets deep at night, and coming from two sets down always sends a strong message to the future opponents.
“But at the same time, I’m not really wanting to be in this position, to be honest. I prefer a straight-set win. So hopefully I can get back on that track in the next match.”
This one began under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night and did not wrap up until more than 3½ hours later, concluding just after 1:30 a.m.
It was Djokovic’s eighth career victory after dropping the opening two sets of a match. Before Friday, Djokovic was 1-6 at the US Open when losing the first two sets, with the lone win…
