There is concern for Novak Djokovic ahead of his title defence at the US Open.
The Serbian is searching for his first Grand Slam title of the season in New York, which would be his 25th overall.
The final major of the year is Djokovic’s first tournament since defeating Carlos Alcaraz to become Olympic champion.
But as he prepares to begin his campaign at Flushing Meadows, things have taken a turn in the wrong direction.
What happened to Novak Djokovic ahead of the US Open?
Novak Djokovic has been practicing with some of his peers this week and on Friday he had a hitting session with Denmark’s Holger Rune.
According to Danish news outlet TV2, the pair began training on an outside court at the US Open tennis complex and planned to move their session to Arthur Ashe stadium.
However, Djokovic felt some discomfort and after receiving treatment he opted not to continue with the practice session. This comes shortly after Djokovic told reporters he may stop wearing his knee brace.
The World number two is believed to have kept Rune waiting on the court, before the 21-year-old left after 30 minutes.
He used that time to sign autographs for fans and another hitting partner was given to Rune who finished training on the outside courts.
It is unknown exactly what injury Djokovic sustained, but this is not what he wanted to deal with just days before the US Open commences.
Novak Djokovic on the brink of more history if he wins 2024 US Open
By his lofty standards, the 24-time Grand Slam winner has had a substandard 2024 season. Djokovic did not win his first title until the Olympics and lost the number one ranking to Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic has also dealt with injury after tearing the meniscus in his right knee which forced him to withdraw from the French Open before his quarter-final with Casper Ruud.
He may have another injury to deal with now, but after finally winning Olympic gold, Djokovic is hungry for more success in New York and Sky Sports’ Jonathan Overend reckons he can go all the way and claim a 25th Grand Slam.
“People forget quickly that Djokovic won three grand slams last year,” Sky Sports’ Jonathan Overend said. “He is 37 but has just played one of the best matches of his life to win the Olympics, so maybe he’s not going anywhere just yet.
“He continues to surprise, and while he is doing that, anything remains possible. That said, I always think he’s got a mic-drop moment in him [to retire], and that might be when he gets to 25 Grand Slams to claim the all-time record, one ahead of Margaret Court.”
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