24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic added another feather to his cap as he became the first player in history to win 90 matches at every Major tournament. The Serbian tennis pro achieved the feat during second round of the 2024 US Open after his opponent Laslo Djere retired due to injury. The 37-year-old player, who is seeking a record 25th title, was leading the contest 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 when Djere called it quits.
The win marked Djokovic’s 90th win at the US Open, making him the first player to achieve the record. He has won 90 singles matches at all four Major tournaments. The Serbian has a winning record of 97 matches at Wimbledon, 96 at French Open and 94 at Australian Open. Talking about the US Open, he became the fourth tennis player to reach the milestone of 90 wins at the tournament.
Before him, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert and Serena Williams reached the milestone in Flushing Meadows with 98, 101, and 108 wins, respectively. In the next round, Djokovic will take on world number 28 and Montreal Masters champion Alexei Popyrin. Talking about his win, Djokovic said, “It’s not what we want or what the crowd wants, to see a walkover. Djere had an injury that took him off the tour for some time and he is struggling to come back physically to his level. He’s such a good player.”
Paris Olympics 2024 gold medallist added, “It should’ve been his second set honestly. He was 4-2 up, I don’t know whether me winning the second set put more burden on him mentally. Overall it was a big fight. Over two hours for two sets.”