Novak Djokovic 'as best as I can be' ahead of US Open as Elena Rybakina targets world No 1
Novak Djokovic said he felt "as best as I can be" as he prepared to contest the US Open in New York and pursue a potential 25th grand slam title. Elena Rybakina declared herself healthy from a foot injury and said she is aiming to claim the world No 1 ranking for the first time.
Djokovic arrived in New York having competed only once after his semi-final run at Wimbledon, losing in his opening match of the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante while struggling with the humidity. “I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be prepared for US Open in a most adequate way,” he said. “I had almost a few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up. “So it remains to be seen. If you ask me if I’m prepared, I feel like I am as best as I can be, but it’s different training and then getting out on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing best-of-five.”
Over the past two years, nobody other than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has matched Djokovic’s consistency at the grand slams, with the Serb reaching the semi-finals or better in six of his last seven such tournaments. Sinner and Alcaraz account for five of those defeats, alongside a retirement loss at the Australian Open last year. With Sinner absent because of injury and Alcaraz competing for the first time since being sidelined for four and a half months by a right wrist problem, the men’s draw is described as wide open.
Had this scenario unfolded 12 months ago, Djokovic would have been the clear favourite at the start of the tournament, but a year is a very long time at 39 years old and despite how high his level remains, each tournament brings more physical problems for the Serb to manage. He must convert the preparation he has undertaken into match wins over best-of-five encounters on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Elena Rybakina, the second seed and Australian Open champion, said she had recovered sufficiently from a foot problem and planned to take advantage of the chance to reach No 1. “I didn’t play for exactly a week, and we consulted with different doctors. I have been doing the recovery. Slowly started to go on the court. Just a lot of gym,” she said.
After a difficult period during the summer, Rybakina found form on the North American hard-court swing, reaching the final in the Canadian Open before moving into the last eight of the Cincinnati Open, but she was forced to retire early in her quarter-final against Swiatek last week by a foot injury. “I don’t check the rankings [for] the point situation, but from the media mostly I know where I should get, how the others should play. It’s all the different scenarios,” she said. “But for me, especially now when I had this injury last week, I feel like the most important thing is to just try to stay healthy, play one match at a time, because this is not the last tournament of the year. Of course it’s a grand slam, and you want to do well. But you have plenty of opportunities after if you’re healthy and you keep on playing. I’m trying not to think about it at all, and just play one match at a time.”
Both players now head into the US Open in New York: Djokovic aiming for a 25th major amid a wide-open men’s draw, and Rybakina starting the tournament at No 1 in the live rankings but able to be overtaken only if Aryna Sabalenka, who has been No 1 for 97 consecutive weeks, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula win the title and Rybakina fails to reach the semi-finals.