“I had a hard time this year”, said the fourth seed.
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Heading into the U.S. Open, Djokovic spoke about a left wrist injury that flared up before the Rio Olympics, where he lost in the first round.
Djokovic had to call for a medical time-out just five games into the contest inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, when a trainer massaged the upper part of his right arm. It’s all good. To be honest, I take it day by day.
Kerber faces either Shelby Rogers or CiCi Bellis, both of the United States, for a place in the last 16.
Djokovic had admitted that he was “not 100 percent” after suffering a wrist injury on the eve of the Olympics where he was a first-round loser.
Djokovic, a 12-time grand slam victor, took a medical timeout midway through the first set to receive treatment on his right arm.
Earlier on Day One, another two-time Open champion, Rafael Nadal, won his first Grand Slam match in three months, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 against Denis Istomin; 20th-seeded John Isner’s rallied from two sets down to edge 18-year-old USA countryman Frances Tiafoe; 26th-seeded Jack Sock pulled out a five-set victory over 18-year-old Taylor Fritz in another all-American matchup; and Rio women’s gold medalist Monica Puig of Puerto Rico fell to Zheng Saisai of China. With at least one more match guaranteed for the world’s No. 1 player, it will be interesting to see how creative he gets about those health questions the rest of the way.
“There are periods of the year when you’re not feeling 100 per cent”.
Djokovic, a U.S. Open finalist five of the last six years, next faces Czech Jiri Vesely, a five-set victor over Indian qualifier Saketh Myneni.
Britain’s Johanna Konta, the 13th seed, collapsed on court with heat sickness before completing a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova.
The consultation certainly worked as she reeled off the next seven games to lay the foundation for her win.
Britain’s Kyle Edmund backed up his first round win over world number 15 Richard Gasquet with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 victory over USA wildcard Ernesto Escobedo on the back of 53 winners.
Later, Jack Sock was similarly pushed by Fritz, blowing a 4-0 fifth set lead before winning 7-6, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4.
Vesely had never beaten a top-10 foe before defeating Djokovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Earlier, Cilic was barely troubled in his straight-sets win over Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva, neither were French pair Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Gael Monfils who registered similar victories over Guido Andreozzi and Gilles Muller respectively.
Monfils nearly suffered a freak accident when a giant courtside clock fell towards him as he collided with the back wall, chasing down a Muller shot. That’s what I feel at the moment.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 champion, needed only 58 minutes to beat old rival Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-2.
“That’s my feeling and I can understand some players that are a little bit older and they made a decision to not go because they have been there”.
Novak Djokovic benefited from a stroke of good fortune as the world No 1 received a walkover into the third round of the US Open.
Opening the first night session of the tournament, Djokovic and Janowicz had to wait for the conclusion of a lavish ceremony to unveil the stadium’s new U.S. dollars 150million roof, before it was their turn to play.
However, the old Grandstand court, due to be demolished after the tournament, was pressed into action after Court 10 was deemed unplayable.
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Was the defending U.S. Open men’s singles champ in danger of leaving the Grand Slam event early? This news story is related to Print/146549-Nadal-Kerber-breeze-at-US-Open-Djokovic-survives/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
