Novak Djokovic has admitted to concerns over his physicality despite overcoming a gruesome blister to win his first round match at the US Open, wit
Djokovic had cruised through the opening set of his match against rising American star Learner Tien, but was required to battle to claim the second in a tie-break.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had appeared physically hampered and requested a medical time out during the break in play.
A physio was called onto the court to attend to a foot issue, with cameras highlighting a large blister on Djokovic’s foot.
Fans expressed their shock on social media at the sight of the blister, with some unhappy at broadcasters for the close-up image while others revealed the concern for how it may impact Djokovic’s chances at the tournament.
‘That Djokovic foot did not look pretty,’ one fan wrote, with another stating ‘A look at the blister Novak Djokovic was dealing with tonight… gross.’
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‘The blister on Djokovic’s big toe is horrific. It’s not even a blister. It’s a one square inch flap of skin just hanging there. He’s gonna need every one of these off days before his second round match,’ added a third.
‘ESPN we did NOT need to see the close up of the blister on Novak Djokovic’s toe… I almost vomited,’ another added.
‘Novak Djokovic dodges a bullet, so to speak, and will benefit for an extra day off to get that blister situation in better shape,’ a fourth added.
Others noted how the blister would likely have been caused by Djokovic’s recent absence from tour events, with the 38-year-old playing his first singles match since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat back on July 11.
Following treatment, Djokovic went on to seal a straight sets 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Tien to book his place in the second round.
Djokovic dismissed suggestions of an injury impacting his play post-match, but instead admitted he was concerned by his overall physical condition after struggling to recover from points in the second set.
‘I started great, just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,’ Djokovic said.
‘Then some long games to start the second set, I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically.
‘We had long exchanges, but also, I kind of dropped my level and made a lot of unforced errors and kind of got him back into the match.
‘Good thing, two days off now, but it’s slightly a concern.
‘I don’t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points.’
