Novak Djokovic vs. Mikhail Youzhny

The big story of the day will be how Novak Djokovic looks after getting a much needed walkover into the third round when Jirí Vesley withdrew due to injury. Djokovic was noticeably struggling in his first round match against Jerzy Janowicz, an opponent that an in-form Djokovic would’ve beat with ease.

It was also the first time since 2010 that Djokovic dropped a set in the first round of a grand slam. While Djokovic is the clear number one player in the world, who started off the year in impressive fashion, after winning both the Australian & French Open, he’s looked like a totally different player the past two months. At Wimbledon this year, a place where Djokovic has won the championship the past two years prior, he went down to Sam Querrey in a major upset in the third round. Djokovic then lost another shocker, this time to Juan Martin Del Potro, in the first round of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which had him in tears. A week later, Djokovic pulled out of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, citing a wrist injury. On Monday night against Janowicz, however, it wasn’t the left wrist that was bothering him, it was actually his right arm this time. He had his arm & shoulder massaged by a trainer after only five games, then repeatedly tried shaking out his arm, flexing his elbow, and was grimacing following serves while only hitting 84mph on the radar gun, way slower than a typical Djokovic serve. No one has played more tennis than Djokovic this season, topping out at 84 matches over the past year, and he’s still not done. Novak has been excellent at preventing injuries over the past few seasons, but how quickly can he heal from an injury will be the big question. Djokovic’s opponent in his 85th match of the year, will be Mikhail Youhzny, who is currently ranked 61st in the world. Youhzny, a once top-10 player, was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Open in 2006 & 2010. While his best days are probably behind him, he’s a savvy veteran, hoping for a career resurgence, on a surface that has been kind to him over the years. Youzhny has won both of his matches this week in straight sets. While I wouldn’t necessarily say that Youzhny is a live dog against Djokovic, there’s a slight chance that an upset may be brewing if Djokovic isn’t 100%. This match will probably end up being a lot closer than Djokovic is used to. Either way, I know I’ll be tuning in to see how the world number one looks this afternoon. Will you?