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Djokovic Wins in Return to US Open to Ensure Regaining No. 1 Ranking

Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a forehand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the US Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 28, 2023. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a forehand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the US Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 28, 2023. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP)
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Djokovic Wins in Return to US Open to Ensure Regaining No. 1 Ranking

Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a forehand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the US Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 28, 2023. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a forehand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the US Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on August 28, 2023. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP)

Novak Djokovic is back at the U.S. Open and will now be back at No. 1 in the rankings.
Djokovic made a winning return after missing the tournament last year, rolling to a 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller on Monday night.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion had to wait through Coco Gauff's three-set victory to open the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, followed by an opening-night ceremony marking 50 years of equal prize money at the US Open.

“Well, I knew it was going to be a late night for me, late start of the match,” Djokovic said.

“Nevertheless, I mean, I was excited to go out on the court. I didn’t care if I started after midnight because I was looking forward to this moment for a few years, to be out on the biggest stadium in our sport, the loudest stadium in our sport, playing the night session.”

Djokovic was not allowed to travel to the US last year because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Monday was his first match in Flushing Meadows since falling to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 final, a loss that prevented the Serbian from completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969.

The No. 2 seed took the first set in just 23 minutes and won the first eight games before Muller finally got on the board, raising his arms in triumph after cutting it to 2-1 in the second set.

“I think the performance explains how I felt tonight, particularly in the first two sets. It was kind of lights-out tennis really, almost flawless, perfect first set,” The Associated Press quoted Djokovic as saying. “I’ve probably had the answer for every shot he had in his book.”

Djokovic improved to 17-0 in first-round matches at the US Open and assured he will regain the No. 1 ranking on Sept. 11. Because he couldn't play last year and had no rankings points to defend, Djokovic needed only get to the second round to guarantee he would take the top spot back from Carlos Alcaraz. It will be Djokovic's 390th week atop the rankings, extending his own record.

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Coco Gauff is Just 21 but Already Thinking About What to Do after Tennis

Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
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Coco Gauff is Just 21 but Already Thinking About What to Do after Tennis

Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL

To be clear, Coco Gauff didn't bring up the word “star” during a recent interview with The Associated Press; the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer a question about balancing her life as a professional athlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term.

“I definitely didn’t know how it would look like,” she began with a smile, “before I got to be, I guess, a star — feels weird to call myself that — but I definitely did want to expand outside of tennis. Always. Since I was young.”

She still is young, by just about any measure, and she is a really good tennis player — Gauff owns the Grand Slam titles and No. 2 ranking to prove it as she heads into Wimbledon, which begins Monday — but the 21-year-old American is also more than that, The Associated Press reported.

Someone unafraid to express her opinions about societal issues. Someone who connects with fans via social media. Someone who is the highest-paid female athlete in any sport, topping $30 million last year, according to Sportico.com, with less than a third of that from prize money and most via deals with companies such as UPS, New Balance, Rolex and Barilla. Someone who recently launched her own management firm.

And someone who wants to succeed in the business world long after she no longer swings a racket on tour.

“It's definitely something that I want to start to step up for post-career. Kind of start building that process, which is why I wanted to do it early. Because I didn’t want to feel like I was playing catch-up at the end of my career,” said Gauff, who will face Dayana Yastremska in the first round at the All England Club on Tuesday.

“On the business side of things, it doesn’t come as natural as tennis feels. I’m still learning, and I have a lot to learn about," Gauff said. "I’ve debated different things and what paths I wanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court, because I always knew that once I finished high school that I needed to put my brain into something else.”

In a campaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year's US Open, she connects with business coach Emma Grede — known for working with Kim Kardashian on Skims, and with Khloe Kardashian on Good American — to offer mentoring to three small-business owners.

“Coco plays a key role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners — emerging or younger entrepreneurs,” Betsy Wilson, VP of digital marketing and brand activation at UPS, said in a phone interview.

“Obviously, she’s very relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.”

While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunity to pick up tips.

“It's really cool to learn from someone like her,” Gauff said. “Whenever I feel like I’m ready to make that leap, I can definitely reach out to her for advice and things like that. ... This will help me right now and definitely in the long term.”