Pain in the neck for Djokovic as world No 1 plays through injury
Bothered by a bad neck that a trainer massaged twice, Novak Djokovic double-faulted seven times and trailed by a break in each set before avoiding the rash of upsets at the Western & Southern Open by claiming a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Ricardas Berankis.
The No 1- rankedDjokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event on Sunday because of his neck.
“I’m trying to deal with it on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s been like that for the past three or four days.”
Still, Djokovic improved to 19 - 0 in 2020 as he prepares to seek a sixth title from the past eight Grand Slam tournaments when the US Open begins in a week. That major championship’s site in Flushing Meadows is hosting the Ohio-based Western & Southern Op en, to o, as par t of an unusual doubleheader with no spectators.
Djokovic got by, even though he was wincing and stretching his neck between points, then wound up laying on his back – a medical mask and protective glasses on his face – while having his neck manipulated after the first set.
Djokovic tested positive for Covid-19 in June after a series of no-social-distancing exhibition matches he organised in Serbia and Croatia.