Novak Djokovic spoke plainly about his physical condition after a tense third-round match at the 2025 US Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion edged Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 in Arthur Ashe Stadium in two hours and 49 minutes to reach the last 16.

Djokovic left the court when leading 5-4 in the first set for a medical timeout because of a back issue that caused visible discomfort. The Serbian also received treatment early in the second set. After surrendering a 3-1 lead in the tiebreak to drop the second set, he was broken in the opening game of the third set but then won 12 of the next 16 games to seal his place in the fourth round.

Following the win, Djokovic was candid about his concerns in an interview with ESPN. “Well, honestly I am concerned. You know, nowadays [I am] more concerned than I have ever been,” he said. He expanded on how age and recovery are changing his approach. “Even though I really am meticulous with the care for my body and I put in a lot of hours on and off the court to make sure that my body is fit and recovered well.

“But you know, age is… you can’t fight it. So things are different. I have to obviously adjust myself the way I approach things training.

“Sometimes I don’t train between matches because with my team when I have this discussion, we think that long term is better and that recovery is more important than hitting some balls in the court.

“So maybe that’s going to be the case tomorrow. We have to still discuss that and just focus on recovery and get ready for next one.”

The world No 7 also described the extra time he spends on recovery compared with his younger days. “Actually probably even more when I was younger; it’s just in order to keep up with the youngsters I just have to put an extra, extra hour, extra few hours every day,” he said. “Whether it’s table work, whether it’s recovery from using different wellness machines or good sleep, nutrition, obviously all of it, all of it comes into equation and all of it matters when you go deeper in the tournament.”

Djokovic will meet world No 144 Jan-Lennard Stuff in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

Emma Raducanu’s run at the US Open ended in decisive fashion when No 9 seed Elena Rybakina closed the match in around an hour. The scale of the defeat made clear the gap Raducanu still needs to close against the game’s elite.

Raducanu had shown encouraging signs in recent weeks, notably in matches against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon and at the Cincinnati Masters, which had fuelled hope she was narrowing the margin. Those performances offered context for her post-match reflections after the loss to Rybakina.

“That match was very difficult. I never really got a chance to settle or feel any rhythm,” she said. “I just felt that there were so few balls in play that when one was in play, I felt too much pressure to do something.

“A lot of work to do – especially against the top players – but, overall, I’m heading in the right direction.

“I’m just ready to get back on the practice court. I have some time now to work on my game.

“I haven’t spoken yet [with coach Francis Roig], but I’m sure we’ve got a lot to debrief on.”

Raducanu also suggested Rybakina’s style presented different challenges. “I think it’s going to be important to just look at the last few months as a whole and the improvements that I’m making, because a match like that can easily get you down if you let it,” she added. “So I’m going to try and not do that and regroup and just work hard and get ready for Asia.

“I’ve lost to Iga [Swiatek] twice, Aryna [Sabalenka], and Elena, so it’s tough. But, at the same time, that’s where I’m at with my ranking. I can play top opponents in the first, second, or third round.

“So I’ve just got to do my best in the next few months until Australia to just keep working to try and close the gap.

“I think, depending on the day, depending on how we match up, I’m getting better overall. So I just need to keep consistent and put this one behind me.”

Former British No 1 Laura Robson praised Rybakina. “Rybakina has played a great match there,”

Ben Shelton’s US Open campaign ended in distress when a shoulder injury forced him to retire against Adrian Mannarino, the first retirement of his professional career. Shelton appeared to be moving toward victory after winning the third set, a moment that electrified the New York crowd as he produced a diving winner to convert set point.

The celebration quickly turned to pain. He raised his arm in celebration, then clutched his shoulder after hitting the court. He was heard by courtside microphones telling his father Bryan that he was suffering ’more pain than he has ever felt on a tennis court’. The injury altered the match’s course: after dropping the fourth set, Shelton broke down in tears while seated and conceded that his US Open dream was over for another year.

Mannarino acknowledged the role the injury played in the result. “When he started to have pain, he was leading in the match,” he said in his on-court interview. “Honestly, he probably would’ve won that match. That’s unfortunate for him, and lucky for me. I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m happy to be through but I wish him the best, of course.”

The victory sends Mannarino into the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in his career at the age of 37. The win was confirmed while he was away from the court, in the toilet, with Shelton remaining on court to formally concede. “I’m 37 years old and it’s the first time I’m winning a match from the toilet,” joked Mannarino. “There’s always new things coming up and I’m just enjoying my time on the court. I hope I can extend it for a little while.

“I was having good fun on the court, there were some really long rallies.

“I was losing some, winning some, but I think it was a really cool match to play. Ben is playing really well, he kicked my ass at the beginning of the summer, but it was a great match. I was enjoying it, even if I was losing, it was a pretty cool match.”

Shelton’s defeat is a serious setback for his season. A deep run at the US Open would have given him an opportunity to overtake Taylor Fritz and become America’s No 1. Now uncertainty surrounds the length of his absence and whether a prolonged layoff could jeopardize his hopes of making a first appearance at the ATP Finals.