Novak Djokovic has suffered a fitness scare ahead of the upcoming US Open after being unable to complete his practice session with Holger Rune.
Djokovic hopes to win his 25th Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows. If he does, he will hold more major titles than anyone else, breaking Margaret Court's record of 24 set several years ago.
The Serbian participated in the US Open's fan week, appearing with fellow tennis legends. It was the first time he had been seen on the court since winning gold at the Olympics.
Djokovic played an exhibition match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, teaming up with John McEnroe against Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agassi. After an entertaining spectacle, the pair narrowly overcame Alcaraz and Agassi.
The 37-year-old is also scheduled to make his pickleball debut alongside Jannik Sinner. It would be fascinating to observe how Djokovic adjusts to pickleball after years of being an exceptional tennis player.
Interestingly, Djokovic has not commented publicly about Sinner avoiding a ban for testing positive for the banned substance clostebol at the Indian Wells Open. Despite being cleared of wrongdoing, the 23-year-old lost his ranking points and prize money from the tournament.
Djokovic's willingness to play with Sinner could indicate he supports the Italian and thinks he should be allowed to move on from the saga, but it is hard to know for sure at this stage.
However, Djokovic may not play pickleball alongside Sinner after cutting his practice with Rune short in concerning scenes for the Serbian and his millions of passionate fans.
TV 2 Denmark reported that Djokovic and Rune practiced together on one of the smaller outside courts from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. local time. The pair were scheduled to move to the Arthur Ashe Stadium to practice for another hour.
Rune arrived on the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the second half of the session. Members of Djokovic's team and his bag were in place, indicating that the 24-time Grand Slam champion would eventually appear.
Unfortunately for Rune and the fans inside the stadium, this never happened. Djokovic never showed up, leaving Rune waiting for 30 minutes, unsure whether the former 2orld No. 1 would appear.
To Rune's immense credit, he did not simply stand there doing nothing. The Dane used the time to sign autographs for crowd members and hit balls to spectators, giving them positive memories.
The Rune camp told TV 2 Sport that the hour of practice with Djokovic was played at a very high level, providing both players with ideal preparation for the tournament.
Rune and his team were informed that Djokovic would receive treatment to determine whether he could continue the practice. After 30 minutes, it was decided that the 10-time Australian Open champion could not keep playing.
The organizers arranged a hitting partner for Rune to ensure he got some additional practice. He continued his training for a little over an hour from 2 p.m.
Hopefully, Djokovic's move was just a precaution, and he is ready to compete at Flushing Meadows. It is slightly concerning Djokovic felt he could not play beyond one hour, but he may do longer sessions in the coming days.
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