Third seed Novak Djokovic came back from the brink of defeat to beat Viktor Troicki in the first round of the US Open.
Third-seeded Serb mounts comeback against compatriot Troicki
Third seed Novak Djokovic came back from the brink of defeat to defeat fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki in the first round of the US Open.
Troicki seemed on the verge of a major upset when leading by two sets to one with a break in the fourth but the 2008 Australian Open champion fought back to win 6-3 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-3.
In temperatures peaking at over 35 degrees Celsius, Djokovic comfortably took the first set before falling behind in the second.
Troicki closed out the set to level the match and took the momentum into the third as his opponent, a runner-up at Flushing Meadows three years ago, looked like wilting in the heat.
Djokovic was in deep trouble when he slipped to a 2-0 deficit at the start of the fourth set after dropping his serve.
Decider
But he started to turn things in his favour in the sixth game of the set when he claimed the break back and then edged the set 7-5 to take the contest into a decider.
And he quickly surged into a 4-1 lead before Troicki briefly hit back with two games but Djokovic held his nerve to serve out the match and secure a place in the second round after three hours and 40 minutes.
"Somebody from the stands was keep on saying: 'Hold on and try to hang in there' and that's exactly what I did," he said after the match.
"I would like to thank my box for staying all the time with me and supporting me all the way through and the fans for making the match so exciting.
"I have to give Viktor credit, he playing really well and serving incredibly well. If I lost it would have been so deserved on his side. Only a couple of points turned the match around."
