Novak Djokovic dropped the first set and struggled to find his rhythm throughout but still managed to survive his second-round U.S. Open match against qualifier Zachary Svajda on Wednesday in New York.

After committing 14 unforced errors in losing an hour-long first set, the 38-year-old managed to take the last three sets from the American Svajda, who appeared to be struggling with cramps in the second half of the match, requesting the trainer multiple times during changeovers.

“Kudos to him for staying on the court,” Djokovic said after the match.

The seventh-seeded Djokovic was able to take advantage of Svajda’s physical struggles, winning eight straight games to take a 3-0 lead in the fourth set before finishing off Svajda with a final score of 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

The win gives Djokovic a 54-45 record in majors after losing the opening set, the best such mark by any man in the Open era.

He reached the third round of the U.S. Open for the 19th time in his career, a record he now shares with Roger Federer. Djokovic has never lost in the first two rounds at the New York tournament.

However, when asked after the match about his tennis, the Serbian star, who has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, wasn’t exactly celebrating his play.

“Not that great to be honest,” Djokovic said. “I was not really happy with my tennis in the first part of the match but also credit to Zach for playing some really high-quality tennis. It was unfortunate that he struggled with injury towards the end of the second, but kudos to him for staying on the court. He obviously could not serve as well as he did for the first set and a half but I wish him all the best.”

Djokovic will next face the winner of Wednesday’s match between Britain’s Cameron Norrie and Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.

–Field Level Media