Djokovic unfazed by foot blisters ahead of US Open

Gauff, McNally get US Open doubles wild card

NEW YORK, Aug 25, (RTRS): Novak Djokovic interrupted his US Open practice twice on Saturday to have a trainer look at his right foot but the defending champion said the discomfort was due to blisters and is not a concern.

So uncomfortable was Djokovic that he removed his shoe and sock to have his right foot inspected. Later in the practice he stopped mid-sprint, lifted his right leg off the ground and hopped around on his left foot.

“It’s just a minor thing with the foot. You know, blisters like anybody has those,” top seed Djokovic told reporters. “But it’s nothing major that is posing a concern for the event.”

Djokovic, who saved two match points last month to beat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, will hope the blisters do not worsen especially since solid movement on the court is key to his playing style.

“It allows me to actually swing through my shots to get some balls that maybe most of the other players cannot get to,” said Djokovic, who will begin his quest for a 17th career Grand Slam on Monday against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

“I slide a lot, whether it’s clay, hard court, or grass. I think the flexibility of my ankles has helped with that pretty, so to say, aggressive style of movement.”

Since Wimbledon, Djokovic has played one hardcourt event and made a run to the Cincinnati semifinals where he lost to Russian Daniil Medvedev, who is the Serb’s projected quarter-final opponent in New York.

Djokovic, 32, has won four of the last five Grand Slams and is two shy of Rafa Nadal on the all-time list and four away from matching Federer’s record tally of 20.

The Serbian has a tough draw in New York but is favourite to inch closer to his rivals over the coming fortnight.

“I still am very motivated to keep going and especially at this stage,” said Djokovic.

“It always has been the case but, especially now, more or less everything is about Grand Slams in terms of how I see tennis and how I approach them because they matter the most.”

Coco Gauff and Caty McNally will get a chance to play doubles at the US Open and add to their winning streak as a team.

Gauff, the 15-year-old based in Florida who announced herself to the world at Wimbledon, and McNally, a 17-year-old from Ohio, were granted a doubles wild card by the US Tennis Association on Saturday.

Each previously was given a wild card for the singles main draw, too. The tournament begins Monday.

A year ago, Gauff and McNally won a US Open junior title in doubles. They then picked up the first WTA trophy for each by winning the doubles title at the Citi Open in Washington this month.

McNally also reached her first tour-level semifinal in singles at that hard-court tournament.

Gauff’s big breakthrough in singles came at the All England Club this year. She became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history, then beat Venus Williams in the first round and made it to the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.