The fans in Cincinnati were anticipating a wonderful final match between World #1 Novak Djokovic and World #4 Andy Murray on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, they received a match cut short after Djokovic retired with a shoulder injury at 6-4, 3-0. You could see Novak was in considerable pain after the first set when he had his shoulder examined, and it was only a matter of time until Novak retired.
Personally, it it a wise move with the US Open just over a week away, because the last thing he would want is to injure his shoulder even further and risk his chances of winning his 3rd Grand Slam of the year. However, professionally, no matter how bad an injury is, unless it actually prevents you from playing, you continue until the match is over, ESPECIALLY in a final, where the fans pay the most money. Even if it meant losing 6-4, 6-0 in one hour and 25 minutes (the match was one hour and 11 minutes), you tough it out and give the fans a full match, even if it isn't at all competitive.
I would love to say that Djokovic getting injured comes as a complete surprise to me, but it really doesn't. Novak has built his game the entire year upon taking huge swings at the ball, and sooner or later, that will take its toll on the shoulder. Unfortunately for Djokovic, this injury is now coming a week before the US Open, which automatically now puts his condition heading into the event in question. I'm sure he will be fine, however there will be the concern about the shoulder acting up in New York and costing him a match like it did today vs Murray. Needless to say, we all want Novak to be at his very best in New York, so I hope he gets the proper treatment and goes into the US Open with no health concerns and ready to rock and roll.
Anyways, I hope Novak is ready for the US Open and that this shoulder injury isn't a big deal.
PS: It is interesting to note that two of the top three players in the world are not healthy heading into the US Open.
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