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Novak Djokovic moved one step closer to the Calendar Slam with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the 2021 US Open on Thursday.
Djokovic was a lot more fluent against the Dutchman than he was against Holger Rune in the first round. But there were still a few chinks in his armor, albeit in fairly minor areas.
The small issues didn't cost the Serb much as he cantered to victory in 99 minutes, to set up a third-round clash against familiar foe Kei Nishikori. On that note, here is a look at the three biggest talking points from Djokovic's win:
#1 Novak Djokovic's timing was a bit off in the first half of the match
Novak Djokovic is usually picture perfect with his returns, and he will likely reach that stage soon with a few more matches under his belt. But against Griekspoor on Thursday, the World No. 1 was striking the ball a tad late at times.
This gave Griekspoor the upper hand in some of the rallies early on in the match. But given the difference in the overall skill level of the two players, the Dutchman couldn't make Djokovic pay for his lapses.
The Serb was also helped by the fact that he served exceptionally well in the opening set. Djokovic won 92% of his first-serve points and dropped just four points on his delivery in the entire set.
#2 Novak Djokovic's error count was high in the first two sets, but low in the third
Novak Djokovic coughed up 20 unforced errors, including five double faults, against Tallon Griekspoor. While these are not particularly large figures in a three-set match, they could have easily put him in a spot of bother against a higher-ranked player.
Djokovic relies heavily on his clean game, and he will likely need it more than ever should he face Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev back-to-back at the business end of the tournament.
16 of Djokovic's 20 unforced errors came in the first two sets itself, which was a bit concerning. But the World No. 1 recognized the issue soon enough and sharpened his game by the end; he committed a mere four unforced errors in the third set.
#3 Novak Djokovic further distances himself from the rest with his all-round success, becomes first player ever to collect a minimum of 77 wins at every Slam
The win over Tallon Griekspoor was the 77th overall for Novak Djokovic at the US Open. He also has 79 victories at Wimbledon, 81 at Roland Garros and 82 at the Australian Open.
The Serb is the only player in tennis history to have recorded a minimum of 77 match wins at each of the four Majors. In fact, even before this tournament started, Djokovic was the only one to have at least wins at each Slam.
Fellow 20-time Major champion Roger Federer has the next best record in this regard. The Swiss has 102 wins at the Australian Open, 105 at Wimbledon and 89 at the US Open. But he lags behind at Roland Garros, with 73 victories under his belt there so far.
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