A trainer works on Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, between games against Jan-Lennard Struff, of Germany, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Novak Djokovic’s neck bothers him during a US Open win. He will face Taylor Fritz next

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was cruising along with a big early lead in his U.S. Open fourth-round match on Sunday night when his neck started bothering him. That didn’t stop Djokovic from dominating 144th-ranked qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his record 64th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“What gives me a lot of encouragement right now, and positivity, is the way I played tonight,” Djokovic said. “Best performance of the tournament so far. Hopefully I can keep that going.”

Djokovic was ahead 4-0, 15-love when he hit a nicely angled volley winner to go up 30-love in that game. The 24-time Grand Slam champion immediately grabbed at the back of his neck and started turning his head.

The 38-year-old Djokovic kept trying to stretch his neck or flex his right shoulder between points, and he went on to drop that game and the next one, too. But he soon regained the upper hand against Struff, who beat Frances Tiafoe in the previous round and was trying to get to a major quarterfinal for the first time.

After improving to 8-0 against Struff, Djokovic now carries a 10-0 head-to-head record into his quarterfinal on Tuesday against 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz.

“I expect players that never won against me to come out on the court and try something different and try to make me feel maybe uncomfortable and play more aggressive, or not, whatever,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think there’s going to be any major changes with Taylor, because, obviously, you stick to the kind of a game plan that got you to the quarters, and you know what your strengths are … which for him obviously is serve and forehand.”

The No. 4-seeded Fritz, the last American man in the bracket, moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory Sunday against No. 21 Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.

“The thing is, I think it’s spanned over so many years. The first almost seven or eight times I played him, I probably just wasn’t a good enough player to really have that much of a chance unless I have the best day ever and he has a bad day,” Fritz said. “Only the last couple times we’ve played, I think, I’ve been this just better player that can, I’d say, compete and have chances.”

After Djokovic finished off that opening set against Struff, he was visited by a trainer for treatment during the ensuing changeover. Djokovic was given a massage to his neck and shoulder.

If he was still in discomfort, his play wasn’t really affected at all. During the break after that set, Djokovic had his right forearm massaged. But again, there were no signs of trouble when the ball was in play.

Djokovic had trainers work on him earlier in the tournament, too, including for blisters on a foot in the first round and for a lower-back issue in the third.

He’s won four championships in New York, most recently in 2023.

___

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

Taylor Fritz, of the United States, reacts after a rally against Tomas Machac, of the Czech Republic, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts after a really against Jan-Lennard Struff, of Germany, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Jan-Lennard Struff, of Germany, returns a shot to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, takes a break during a changeover in the first set against Jan-Lennard Struff, of Germany, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles