Friday’s draw set Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as potential semifinal opponents, while Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are in the other half of the bracket. He said Friday he’s practiced lightly in NY to get used to the conditions at the U.S. Open and isn’t doing any off-court work, “trying to be as fresh as I can”. “So I need to try and keep that going, and the U.S. Open is always the next big goal”. When he first came back from the injury, he had to adjust his technique to avoid pain, so now he needs to get comfortable again with his regular stroke. He declined to elaborate on those problems other than to say they had been resolved.
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Djokovic, who completed a career grand slam earlier this year by winning the French Open, has been undergoing “electricity treatments”, and the injury means he might have difficulty executing his backhand shots.
World number one Serena Williams and her sixth-ranked sister Venus warmed up for the U.S. Open next week by going head-to-head in a game of virtual tennis on Thursday.
The Russian made two straight major semis – at the 2014 U.S. Open, losing to Williams 6-1, 6-3, and the 2015 Australian Open.
Doing an interview shortly after the draw was set, Djokovic joked he wasn’t “mentally ready” to see his bracket quite yet and wanted to wait until “I’m alone”.
Janowicz has been ranked has high as 14th but has struggled in recent years and missed much of this season because of injuries.
In the other half of the draw Murray is in line for a last-eight encounter with former finalist Kei Nishikori; the victor of that match would then probably play either Dominic Thiem or the victor of a potential Del Potro v Stan Wawrinka fourth round match. Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber and French Open victor Garbine Muguruza are in the other half of the draw, which was set Friday.
Laura Robson has been handed an all-British clash against Naomi Broady at the US Open after she beat Germany’s Tatjana Maria to qualify for the first round.
In last year’s final, Pennetta beat her fellow Italian Roberta Vinci who ended Serena’s run in the last four.
The draw has placed Williams and No 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the same half, while Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and French Open victor Garbine Muguruza are in the other section. And in the fourth round, she could face Sam Stosur, who stunned her in the 2011 U.S. Open final.
The world number one has been suffering from a left wrist problem which contributed to a shock first round loss at the Olympics to Juan Martin del Potro and forced him to skip the Cincinnati Masters.
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Novak Djokovic, the victor of four of the last five grand slams, will be the top seed but Andy Murray is the player in form, having won Queen’s, Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal already this summer. No. 2 seed Andy Murray, the Wimbledon and Rio Olympics victor, gets Lukas Rosol in his opener.
