DJOK CALLS TIME OUT
Serb misses US Open warm-up event to recover from his Olympic misery
NOVAK Djokovic’s withdrawal from the main warm-up event to the US Open has added to the pall of uncertainty that is hanging over tennis. The 34-year-old Serb may go into a potentially historic edition of Flushing Meadows with minimal preparation after pulling out of next week’s Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. He joined Roger Federer on the absentee list after reporting that he was taking longer to recover from his Olympic exit than expected. Djokovic did not specify whether that was related to the shoulder injury he cited as the reason for withdrawing from his mixed doubles bronze medal match in Tokyo. His decision has increased the ambiguity around the upcoming Grand Slam, as New York battles a rise in Covid cases. ‘I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from
Australia to Tokyo,’ said Djokovic, who threw his racket around during his failed singles campaign in Japan. ‘Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati, so I’ll turn my attention to the US Open.’ Federer, who turned 40 on Sunday, has yet to declare whether he will play at the US Open. The ‘Big Three’ are tied on 20 Grand Slam titles each, with Djokovic going for the calendar Grand Slam, but it looks like Rafael Nadal will not be giving up the race without a fight. Among the trio, Nadal should be the best prepared in New York. After skipping Wimbledon and Tokyo, he played last week in Washington DC and is in the draw for this week’s Canadian Open, opting for a long stay in North America.