2 things that stood out in Novak Djokovic's thrilling 3R win over Laslo Djere at 2023 US Open

Second seed Novak Djokovic beat his compatriot Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round of the 2023 US Open on Friday, September 1.

Djokovic will take on Borna Gojo of Croatia in the fourth round on Sunday. Gojo should find it extremely difficult to get past the Serbian, given the 36-year-old’s resilience and mental fortitude.

On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Djokovic's win against Djere:

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#1 Laslo Djere defended really well along the baseline in the first two sets

Djokovic is well-known for his almost unparalleled defensive skills, but his opponent gave him a taste of his own medicine in the first two sets. Djere covered the width of the baseline really well, as the former World No. 1 tried to move him from side to side.

Moreover, the 23-time Grand Slam champion also hit quite a few of his shots long to make Djere’s job easier in the first two sets. Djere broke Djokovic once each in those two sets to take a very significant two-set lead.

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#2 Novak Djokovic cut down errors as the match progressed

Djokovic regained his clinical self from the third set onwards, minimizing the errors and not allowing his opponent any breathing space. In stark contrast, Djere started committing unforced errors more frequently and hit the ball into the net on a good number of occasions.

Djokovic capitalized on that and started putting a lot of pressure on his opponent’s second serve. He raced to a 5-0 lead in the third set before Djere was able to somehow avoid a bagel. The pattern was repeated in the fourth set, as the 36-year-old won it to draw level.

Djere fared better in the final set, but Djokovic did enough to get the decisive break and thereby finish the match off. Djere was able to win only 44% of the points on his second serve in the match, while Djokovic managed 60%. Djere faced as many as 14 break points in the match and was able to save only seven of them.