Rejuvenated Djokovic eyes US Open
NEW YORK: From the pits of despair in Paris, record-setting Novak Djokovic now eyes a third US Open title in New York where for the first time since Wimbledon last year, the sport’s ‘Big Four’ will be reunited.
Djokovic became the first man to win all nine Masters titles with victory over Roger Federer at Cincinnati on Sunday.
Having captured, against all the odds, a fourth Wimbledon in July, the 31-year-old Serb suddenly finds himself as joint-favourite with world number one Rafael Nadal to triumph at Flushing Meadows.
Champion in 2011 and 2015, and a five-time runner-up, Djokovic sat out the 2017 US Open to nurse an elbow injury.
His physical limitations were still evident when he slumped away from Roland Garros in June after a shock quarter-final loss to journeyman Marco Cecchinato, threatening to skip Wimbledon to mend his shattered self-confidence.
Fast forward three months and Djokovic is once again the man to beat. He will head for New York buoyed by his dominance over his three major rivals as well — he leads Nadal 27-25, Federer 24-22 and Andy Murray 25-11. World number one Nadal, who won the US Open last year to add to his 2010 and 2013 victories, skipped Cincinnati after winning in Toronto the week before.
The season’s final grand slam begins on August 27 in Flushing Meadows.
INJURED TSONGA PULLS OUT OF US OPEN
NEW YORK: Frenchman Jo-wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to a longterm knee problem, the United States Tennis Association said on Monday.
Tsonga, three times a quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows, has not played since a semi-final defeat at the Open Sud de France in February. He had knee surgery in April. The 33-year-old, now ranked 64 in the world, will be replaced in the main draw by Australian James Duckworth.
SERENA TO WEAR VIRGIL ABLOH OUTFITS
NEWYORK: After turning heads in Paris with her black catsuit, Serena Williams is out to wow the US Open in her brand new “Queen” collection for Nike, designed by American stylist Virgil Abloh, the sportswear giant said Monday.
Abloh — artist, architect, friend of Kanye West and artistic director of Louis Vuitton — created two dresses for the court, one for the day in white and one for evening in black.
It is said to be inspired by the six-time US Open singles champion’s love of ballet.
HALEP WITHDRAWS FROM CONNECTICUT
LOS ANGELES : World number one Simona Halep withdrew from the WTA Connecticut Open with a leg injury, the day after losing the Cincinnati final to Kiki Bertens.
The Romanian, who cited soreness in her right Achilles, said she still plans to take part in the upcoming US Open. “I need to recover in time for the US Open,” she said.
This would have been Halep’s third tournament in as many weeks. She won the WTA Montreal event before being runner-up in Cincinnati, losing in three sets to Dutchwoman Bertens on Sunday.