Djokovic overcomes neck issue to book quarterfinal clash with Fritz

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was cruising along with a big early lead in his U.S. Open fourth-round match on Sunday night when his neck started bothering him. That didn’t stop Djokovic from dominating 144th-ranked qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his record 64th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Djokovic was ahead of 4-0, 15-love when he hit a nicely angled volley winner to go up 30-love in that game. The 24-time Grand Slam champion immediately grabbed at the back of his neck and started turning his head.

The 38-year-old Djokovic kept trying to stretch his neck or flex his right shoulder between points, and he went on to drop that game and the next one, too. But he soon regained the upper hand against Struff, who beat Frances Tiafoe in the previous round and was trying to get to a major quarterfinal for the first time.

After improving to 8-0 against Struff, Djokovic now carries a 10-0 head-to-head record into his quarterfinal on Tuesday against 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz.

The No. 4-seeded Fritz, the last American man in the bracket, moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory Sunday against No. 21 Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.

After Djokovic finished off that opening set against Struff, he was visited by a trainer for treatment during the ensuing changeover. Djokovic was given a massage to his neck and shoulder.

If he was still in discomfort, his play wasn’t really affected at all. During the break after that set, Djokovic had his right forearm massaged. But again, there were no signs of trouble when the ball was in play.

Djokovic had trainers work on him earlier in the tournament, too, including for blisters on a foot in the first round and for a lower-back issue in the third.

He’s won four championships in New York, most recently in 2023.

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