NEW YORK, Aug 29, (APP/AFP) – Novak Djokovic and Rafael
Nadal get their US Open campaigns under way Monday in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s spectacular $150 million retractable roof and alongside rock music legend Phil Collins.
Defending champion Djokovic and fellow two-time winner Nadal come into the season’s final Grand Slam with injury concerns.
World number one Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 champion, admits he is “not 100 percent” after suffering a wrist injury on the eve of the Olympic Games where he was a shock first-round loser.
The 29-year-old has also said “personal problems” contributed to his
third-round exit at Wimbledon which ended his hopes of going on to capture the first calendar Grand Slam since 1969.
Nadal, meanwhile, is also battling the effects of a left wrist problem which forced a mid-tournament withdrawal from the French Open and sidelined him until the Olympics where he was a gold medal winner in the men’s doubles.
The injury concerns, combined with the absence for the first time since 1999 of five-time winner Roger Federer, have put 2012 champion Andy Murray in the position of favourite.
Djokovic, Nadal…Phil Collins kick-off US Open
