Federer, who won five of his men’s record 17 Grand Slam titles in NY, will be sitting out the U.S. Open for the first time since 1999 as he takes the rest of the season off to let his left knee heal.
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Djokovic, 29, has struggled since winning the French Open in June.
“I don’t think Murray would go in as favourite on that surface against Nadal in a best-of-five”, the tennis legend added. “I have gotten better and am hoping on Monday that I will be able to hit my backhand”.
“I’m just now starting to feel a little better”, she said. In Rio, she beat three grand slam champions – Muguruza, Kvitova, and Kerber – on the way to the gold medal, thus securing Puerto Rico’s first ever Olympic medal in the process.
The Serbian, who completed a Career Grand Slam at the 2016 French Open, is looking to regain his lost mojo after early exits at Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics.
In the recently released EPIX documentary “Serena, ” Williams explained the depth of her melancholy and why she pulled out of 2015’s final three events – something that rubbed the tennis establishment the wrong way. Seeded No. 7 this time, Italy’s Vinci returns to the site of her only major final, opening play in Ashe on Monday morning against Anna-Lena Friedsam.
As is usually the case with Williams, there is a lot at stake. Del Potro was the 2009 U.S. Open champion, a player believed to be headed for greatness, when wrist injuries and subsequent surgeries derailed him. “But I just feel like my game has matured a lot overall, and mentally sometimes I definitely do put a little more pressure on myself than I did a long time ago”. But after an uncomfortable practice there, the aching shoulder forced Williams to withdraw.
Far from feeling stressed by the chance to topple Williams, Kerber said she is thriving on the race for number one. Williams has held the top spot for 183 consecutive weeks, three short of Graf’s record.
Cilic, the surprise 2014 champion and 2009 victor Del Potro, the runner-up at the Olympics, should also not be discounted.
Williams will need to be at her best during her first-round match against Makarova, a Russian now ranked 29th but as high as eighth previous year and who has beaten the American once in their five meetings.
Although Williams has not played often since Wimbledon, Mouratoglou pointed out that she was competing in two events in each of the last four tournaments she entered, which may have taken a toll.
“I’ve had a long summer”, said the Scot yesterday as he prepared for the start of his title bid, which he will begin on Tuesday against the tetchy but unsafe Czech, Lukas Rosol.
Those sorts of thoughts helped Vinci when she got into a bit of a second-set rut against Friedsam, who eliminated her at this year’s Australian Open. “But she is working hard and recovering well”.
And there are times when the 34-year-old American basically forgets that she transcends her sport and has become a cultural icon away from the tennis court. Djokovic called the wrist “that essential part of your body as a tennis player”.
It wasn’t a physical problem that burdened Djokovic during his third-round Wimbledon loss to 41st-ranked Sam Querrey, he acknowledged.
If he does that, Djokovic, Janowicz in form or not, should not have too many problems.
Djokovic has admitted he is still suffering from the wrist injury that hampered him at the Olympics and there will be great interest in the top seed’s early-round performances.
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“Sometimes time is what you need as an athlete, and the U.S. Open is around the corner and I don’t have much time”, Djokovic said.
