NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Novak Djokovic never likes to get eliminated early in a tournament. In this case, he is looking on the bright side.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old who holds the record with 24 Grand Slam titles goes into the U.S. Open<\/a> fresh off losing his first match at the Cincinnati Open<\/a> earlier this month. That was his first action since Wimbledon, but he is at peace with the outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gave me time to be preparing for U.S. Open in a most adequate way,\u201d Djokovic said Saturday. \u201cI had almost few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what\u2019s coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeded fourth, Djokovic begins his quest for a 25th Grand Slam championship \u2014 and fifth in Flushing Meadows \u2014 against 48th-ranked Mariano Navone on Sunday night inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite being a sizable favorite, he is not looking past Navone.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see how it goes,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cThe opening matches are always for me, particularly in the last few years, quite challenging. So, hopefully I can overcome the first hurdle and build from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Djokovic has played in just 16 tournaments this year, the fewest of anyone ranked in the top 95 on the ATP Tour. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon<\/a> before losing to Jannik Sinner, was out in the round of 32 at the French Open<\/a> and made it to the Australian Open<\/a> final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>.<\/p>\n This will be Djokovic\u2019s 20th appearance in the U.S. Open as he joins Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Feliciano Lopez as the only players to hit that milestone in men\u2019s singles.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very proud of that,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cObviously, longevity was always one of the goals when I was younger: trying to have long career, trying to have more shots at Grand Slam and stay healthy long enough so that I can perform for as many years as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The only one he has missed since debuting in 2005 was 2017<\/a> because of a right elbow injury. He won it in 2011, \u201815, \u201918 and most recently in \u201923<\/a>.<\/p>\n Djokovic played his first U.S. Open match \u2014 a five-set marathon \u2014 against Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire<\/a> but is also in the field at least one more time.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we are 20 years later,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cWe\u2019re both still grinding and representing the older generation.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n