Novak Djokovic is the best men's tennis player in the world. He showed why yet again as he defeated Jenson Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the Round of 16 at the US Open.
But it was fairly surprising that see Djokovic drop the opening set to Brooksby. The crowd was pleasantly surprised, as they rallied around Brooksby early on. That didn't sit well with Djokovic:
Djokovic shaking his head after he hit a screaming winner and got a tepid response from the crowd. Has not loved the way New York has responded to his quest for the Grand slam.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) September 7, 2021
But Djokovic being who he is, he came back and won the next three sets. What may have been even more surprising was the fact that the Djokovic was able to turn the crowd in his favor by the end of the night.
Nice reaction from the crowd! They enjoyed it #djokovic #usopen pic.twitter.com/KioGPXBcTX
— D20KOVIC Puneet (@TennisPuneet) September 7, 2021
Djokovic also received a round of applause once he defeated Brooksby.
In the past, Djokovic hasn't exactly been loved in Flushing Meadows. In fact, after his first round match, Djokovic skipped celebrating because he thought that the crowd was booing him. Of course, on Monday, you can chalk it up to the majority in attendance supporting the American, Brooksby.
Djokovic had nothing but positive things to say about Brooksby after the match.
"He disguises his shots very well and he is very talented ... He's only 20 so he's got a lot of time ahead of him," Djokovic said.
Now Djokovic will move on to face No. 6 Matteo Berrettini in Wednesday's quarterfinals as he pursues his record-setting 21st Grand Slam title.
