Novak Djokovic sailed into the fourth round of the US Open despite rumours he would pull out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury, but his fine night’s work was overshadowed by a row with a supporter in practice.
The world No. 1 set up a last-16 meeting with Stan Wawrinka with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Denis Kudla – who was denied a hat-trick of Serbs having taken out Janko Tipsarevic and Dusan Lajovic in the first two rounds – but there were question marks over whether he’d make it at all.
Having undergone treatment during his second-round tie with Juan Ignacio Londero, Djokovic faced a race against time to make it to the start line and his hopes of defending the title looks slim when he hadn’t turned up for his pre-match practice some two-and-a-half hours after it was due to start.
When he did arrive, Djokovic wasn’t exactly a happy camper and locked horns with a fan, saying: ‘Trust me, I’ll come find you,’ before being dragged away by coach Goran Ivanisevic.
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Nick Kyrgios didn’t miss the opportunity to chime in on social media, commenting below the video of the incident: ‘I’m scared ?’
The match itself was solid from the 32-year-old still levels above his opponent despite his physical concerns, and he didn’t require treatment mid-contest.
Wawrinka – who defeated Djokovic in the 2016 final – should provide a far stiffer test.
The Swiss beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-4) and will fancy his chances of upsetting the top side given his physical woes.