Novak Djokovic shakes off a back problem and reaches the 4th round of the US Open at 38

New York – Novak Djokovic thinks that his tennis is always good enough to compete for a title of 25th Grand Chelem.

It is his body which must show that he can hold on.

Djokovic shook a back problem at the start of the match to beat Cam Norrie on Friday evening and, at 38, became the oldest man to reach the fourth round of the US Open since Jimmy Connors was the same age in 1991.

Djokovic moved away to win 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3, helped to strike 18 AS in what he said he was his best service performance of a tournament in which he needed treatment for a bulb on his big toe in the first round and for his back in the third.

“The wear on the body for all these years is wreaking havoc, and I am aware of it, but I resist,” said Djokovic. “I try to do my best to always compete with young guys at the highest level.”

The champion of the Grand Colem 24 times seemed in danger to match his first outing in Flushing Meadows when he needed medical care towards the end of the first set. But he recovered to reach the last 16 of the major for the 69th time, corresponding to Roger Federer for the most part for the most part, and will then face the German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff.

“It’s just fantastic how good he plays,” said Struff. “He shows us everything you can play in long tennis and very good tennis at his age.”

It was during a point at 5-3 in the first set that Djokovic raised his racket awkwardly to reach a volley and immediately showed signs that everything was not good. He started trying to stretch his back between the points and barely run for a bullet that Norrie struck to a corner.

After that, Djokovic told the chair referee that he wanted a visit to a coach, and that he soon went to the locker room for a medical waiting period, tightening the bottom of the left back. Djokovic returned to court soon and held the service to take the opening set.

At the change of 2-1 in the second set, Djokovic obtained a back massage while he was seated on the sidelines and also received pills by a doctor. He continued to lose this set and broke in the third match of the third before bringing the match in his favor.

This is the third time in a Grand Chelem tournament this season that Djokovic was hampered after being injured in a match. At the Australian Open in January, he torn off the hamstrings and could not continue after a whole of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

In Wimbledon in July, Djokovic made a clumsy fall in the last match of his victory in the quarter-final, refining his groin muscle, and although there was in the support, he was clearly compromised during a defeat in the semi-finals against the possible Jannik Sinner champion.

“It is frustrating for me, honestly, that I am unable to feel 100% as I have done for over 20 years,” said Djokovic. “But yes, I suppose that the circumstances are quite different and I have to get used to the fact that each match there is something that could happen because it is the case this year almost all slams.”

The United States Open was the first Djokovic tournament since then and had difficulties in each of his first three games.

“My team wants me to suffer on the field so that I can get more minutes of play,” he joked.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis