Novak Djokovic has overcome nausea in New York's hot conditions to advance to the second round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic — who is seen as one of the favourites for this year's tournament — beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 in punishing temperatures that prompted officials to observe a heat rule for men's singles matches for the first time.
The players took a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets to help them cope with temperatures climbing above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius).
The pair, who were not allowed to speak to their coaches during the break, spent the downtime side-by-side, "naked in the ice baths", Djokovic said in a post-match broadcast interview.
"It was quite a magnificent feeling, I must say," he added.
After claiming the first set, a visibly exhausted Djokovic smashed his racket as Fucsovics led 3-2 in the second.
In between the action, both players draped themselves in ice towels and at one point Djokovic sat shirtless in his seat. He also asked for a sick bucket to be placed near his chair.
The Serb came roaring back in the third set, however, clawing his way from 3-1 down before sweeping Fucsovics in the fourth.
"I had to find a way to dig myself out of the trouble," Djokovic said.
"I think that was a turning point. 4-3 in the third when he was serving, I managed to play a good game."
Djokovic was back at the US Open for the first time since 2016 after claiming his fourth Wimbledon title this year and completing a sweep of Masters series events.
"I was praying that I got to feel better because I wasn't feeling great for most of the first three sets," said sixth seed Djokovic.
"I want to thank the US Open for allowing us to have a 10-minute break after the third set. We both needed it."
Djokovic missed the US Open last year because of an elbow injury and was playing his first match in Flushing Meadows since losing the 2016 final to Stan Wawrinka.
Federer breezes through to second round
Roger Federer made light of energy-sapping conditions to brush past Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in his opening match at the US Open.
Federer kept his time on court to a minimum with a masterclass of serve-and-volley tennis, pulling the industrious world number 177 from one side of the court to the other at will.
Federer, the second seed, broke the Japanese lefthander in the opening game of the one-sided encounter and never looked back, rattling through his service games with a minimum of fuss to wrap up the first set in 28 minutes.
The Swiss took 35 minutes to close out the second and, with Nishioka firmly on the ropes, started the third by racing to a 4-0 lead before his Japanese opponent held serve.
Nishioka rallied briefly at the end, denying Federer the chance to serve out the set and battling back to 5-4 with his first break of serve.
But Federer put his beleaguered opponent out of his misery in his next service game, wrapping up the victory in one hour and 52 minutes.
Next up for the Swiss is a second-round clash with unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire.
In other men's matches, German fourth seed Alexander Zverev swept through his opening round encounter, beating Canada's Peter Polansky 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in a little over an hour and a half.
Seventh seed Marin Cilic was a beneficiary of a retirement, as Romania's Marius Copil quit in the third set of their match when down 7-5, 6-1, 1-1.
Diego Schwartzman (13th seed) won an all-Argentinian first round match, defeating Federico Delbonis 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, while Italy's Fabio Fognini came from a set down to beat American Michael Mmoh 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
Djokovic — who is seen as one of the favourites for this year's tournament — beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 in punishing temperatures that prompted officials to observe a heat rule for men's singles matches for the first time.
The players took a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets to help them cope with temperatures climbing above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius).
The pair, who were not allowed to speak to their coaches during the break, spent the downtime side-by-side, "naked in the ice baths", Djokovic said in a post-match broadcast interview.
"It was quite a magnificent feeling, I must say," he added.
After claiming the first set, a visibly exhausted Djokovic smashed his racket as Fucsovics led 3-2 in the second.
In between the action, both players draped themselves in ice towels and at one point Djokovic sat shirtless in his seat. He also asked for a sick bucket to be placed near his chair.
The Serb came roaring back in the third set, however, clawing his way from 3-1 down before sweeping Fucsovics in the fourth.
"I had to find a way to dig myself out of the trouble," Djokovic said.
"I think that was a turning point. 4-3 in the third when he was serving, I managed to play a good game."
"I was praying that I got to feel better because I wasn't feeling great for most of the first three sets," said sixth seed Djokovic.
"I want to thank the US Open for allowing us to have a 10-minute break after the third set. We both needed it."
Djokovic missed the US Open last year because of an elbow injury and was playing his first match in Flushing Meadows since losing the 2016 final to Stan Wawrinka.
Federer breezes through to second round
Federer kept his time on court to a minimum with a masterclass of serve-and-volley tennis, pulling the industrious world number 177 from one side of the court to the other at will.
Federer, the second seed, broke the Japanese lefthander in the opening game of the one-sided encounter and never looked back, rattling through his service games with a minimum of fuss to wrap up the first set in 28 minutes.
The Swiss took 35 minutes to close out the second and, with Nishioka firmly on the ropes, started the third by racing to a 4-0 lead before his Japanese opponent held serve.
Nishioka rallied briefly at the end, denying Federer the chance to serve out the set and battling back to 5-4 with his first break of serve.
But Federer put his beleaguered opponent out of his misery in his next service game, wrapping up the victory in one hour and 52 minutes.
Next up for the Swiss is a second-round clash with unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire.
In other men's matches, German fourth seed Alexander Zverev swept through his opening round encounter, beating Canada's Peter Polansky 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in a little over an hour and a half.
Seventh seed Marin Cilic was a beneficiary of a retirement, as Romania's Marius Copil quit in the third set of their match when down 7-5, 6-1, 1-1.
Diego Schwartzman (13th seed) won an all-Argentinian first round match, defeating Federico Delbonis 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, while Italy's Fabio Fognini came from a set down to beat American Michael Mmoh 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
By: abc.net.au
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