Novak Djokovic struggles at the start of the US Open in New York. His condition raises questions.
Novak Djokovic has changed the DTM BoP on Sunday: Ferrari must add weight after Aitken’s pole position
The DTM BoP has been adjusted once again for the second DTM race at the Sachsenring: Ferrari must add weight after Jack Aitken’s pole position
After the second DTM qualifying session at the Sachsenring, in which Emil Frey Ferrari driver Jack Aitken secured his third pole position of the season, the Balance of Performance (BoP) for Sunday’s race has been adjusted once again: However, the changes only affect Ferrari!
The three Ferrari 296 GT3s driven by Aitken and his Emil Frey teammates Ben Green and Thierry Vermeulen will each have to carry ten kilograms of extra weight for the second race on Sunday, bringing the new minimum weight to 1,330 kilograms. However, there will be no changes to the boost pressure, ride height or lambda value.
Ferrari was already strong at the Sachsenring on Saturday, when Aitken finished third in the first race to take the lead in the standings. With pole position on Sunday, he even extended his lead over second-placed Jordan Pepper (Grasser-Lamborghini).
“I’m super happy with the session,” “We made a few small changes to the car that worked. I had no traffic, a really good feeling in the car, and everything went according to plan – it was really nice.”
Unlike on Saturday, when a comprehensive change was made after the first qualifying session that affected a total of eight of the nine GT3 cars, only minor adjustments were made to the Italian sports car on Sunday. All other cars were not affected.
Porsche had also made a strong impression in the second qualifying session (results at a glance): Thomas Preining secured second place on the grid after his mega blunder on Saturday, followed by his Manthey teammate and Saturday winner Ayhancan Güven.
Nevertheless, the BoP for the Porsche 911 GT3 R has not changed. Nevertheless, it will not be easy for the three-time season winner to repeat his victory from the previous day: after his last-minute triumph on Saturday, Güven has the mandatory 20 kilograms of success ballast on board.
I fought my way into the second round of the US Open despite major physical problems. The Serbian Grand Slam record champion defeated American Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 on the first day of the tournament in New York, but looked clearly shaken at times. There are big question marks behind his condition for the tasks ahead.
“It was important for me to keep my nerves and win the second set. After that, I felt a little better,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. The Serbian joked about his opponent’s age (19): “I wish I was his age. When you get into your late 30s, it’s about saving your energy for the important things. The body doesn’t recover as well as it should.”
Djokovic continues to chase his dream of a 25th major title, but the road ahead seems to be getting longer and longer for the 38-year-old. The Serbian is now only playing selected tournaments and focusing on the Grand Slams – he hasn’t played a match since the Wimbledon semi-finals in mid-July.
The four-time tournament winner was already eliminated in the third round at Flushing Meadows last year. He won the title at the last Grand Slam of the year in 2023 and has been waiting for his next big coup ever since.
Djokovic increasingly tired physically
After a commanding first set, which Djokovic won in just 24 minutes, he looked increasingly tired in the second set. Djokovic saved a set point at 4:5 and saved himself in the tiebreak, where he stretched after rallies, leaned on his racket, and took a conspicuous amount of time on his serve. Nevertheless, he won the set with strong nerves. In a subsequent medical timeout, Djokovic had a blister on the big toe of his right foot treated.
Djokovic immediately conceded a break at the start of the third set, but seemed to recover physically. Against the inexperienced Tien, who made too many simple mistakes, he finally showed his class and took his second match point to win.
