But when asked to elaborate on the seriousness of the shoulder injury, the top seed shrugged: “Yeah, no, just shoulder-wise”.
Advertisement
Like several young Americans, Fritz has been working with former world No 7 Mardy Fish, who has been involved with the USTA Player Development program after retiring from tennis after last year’s US Open.
We caught up with Vinci this week at the Connecticut Open in her final tune-up before the Open. “I think that’s what Madison Keys is learning right now”.
“I’m just now starting to feel a little bit better”, said Williams, who added that she’s been doing a lot of physical therapy. Had Puig remained unseeded, she could have met one of the top players in the first or second round.
“We all have private issues and things that are more challenges than issues, things we have to encounter and overcome in order to evolve as a human being”. Who you are? What you continue to do, not only in tennis, (but also) off the court? “I’m not a robot”.
She is at the stage of her career where history is in the offing almost every time a racket is in her right hand.
Williams returns to Flushing Meadows untested in recent weeks and recovering from injury. Only Margaret Court owns more major singles trophies, with 24, but more than half of that total came against amateur competition. But her agent, Max Eisenbud, says he thinks she will “win a Grand Slam really soon”. However, his overall form in the entire year has still been quite breathtaking, with the first two slams of the year already conquered alongside a couple of Masters titles, with the most recent being the one in Toronto last month. How does that change how you go into the tournament this year?
Fellow old-stager Rafael Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 US Open champion, won gold in doubles at the Rio Olympics but lost the singles bronze medal play-off to Kei Nishikori. He’s now ranked 228th and used a protected ranking to get into the U.S. Open. Depending on what happens in the tournament, Williams could be overtaken in the rankings by No. 2 Angelique Kerber (who beat Williams in the Australian Open final in January), No. 3 Garbine Muguruza (who beat Williams in the French Open final in June) or No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska. “I’m looking at Roger Federer“. “It’s nice to see this race”.
For Federer, this is not a criterion to rule Djokovic out.
Djokovic, Murray and Nadal are among the top favorites to win this year’s US Open, but after an up and down campaign this season, anyone could snag the spotlight from three of the biggest stars once the competition begins in NY.
One reason: Federer thinks the installation of the new $150 million roof at the main arena will limit the wind even when it’s open, which will help Djokovic.
Although she has always had enormous talent, Keys believes she has finally found the right mindset to be a contender for a grand slam title.
The 34-year-old subsequently pulled out of the Western and Southern Open this month, and admits she is not in great shape despite improvement in the joint.
“There are different methods of healing that I’m considering and consulting”, Djokovic said.
Advertisement
Fans booking corporate hospitality for the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London this November may keep a particularly close eye on proceedings, as a good run at the event could provide a huge boost for players striving to qualify for the tournament.
