Novak Djokovic has allayed fears he may miss the US Open, saying he just needs a few days off to rest his shoulder.
Djokovic was forced to retire from the Cincinnati Masters final on Sunday with a shoulder injury while trailing 6-4, 3-0 against Andy Murray. The world number one had not looked himself all match and with his first serve speed averaging at just over 100 mph, Murray was picking off his service games with ease.
Djokovic's insisted afterwards that he felt he had no choice but to retire. "I really tried," he said. "It didn't make sense for me to continue. I was generally exhausted playing many matches, but the exhaustion is not the reason. The reason is shoulder pain. I just could not serve."
"I served an average 90 miles per hour the first serve, and I could not play forehands. I could have maybe played another couple of games, but what for? I cannot beat a player like Murray today with one stroke."
Fans were instantly concerned that Djokovic's participation in New York may be in danger but the Serb expects to be fully fit.
"I've played so many matches this year," he said. "I've been winning a lot and reaching the final stages of each event that I've participated in. Considering the schedule that is very busy in tennis, it's kind of normal to expect that at some stage you are exhausted. But as I said, I am confident that I can recover and be ready for US Open."
