NEW YORK (AP) – All eyes will be on a very important pair of left wrists during Day 1 of the U.S. Open – those belonging to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Defending champion Djokovic, a righty, uses his secondary arm for a two-handed backhand. Nadal, of course, is a lefty who relies on that wing for his heavy topspin forehand that is among the best strokes in the game. How each man looks as he begins a bid for a third career title at Flushing Meadows will be one of the main things to watch Monday at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
The fourth-seeded Nadal, who beat Djokovic in the 2010 and 2013 finals, plays during the day session in Arthur Ashe Stadium against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Nadal has won all four of their previous matchups, taking 10 of 11 sets.
Nadal missed 2 1/2 months because of a problem with the tendon sheath in his wrist, pulling out of the French Open before the third round, then skipping Wimbledon altogether. He returned at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this month, losing to Kei Nishikori in the bronze-medal match in singles and winning a gold medal in doubles with Marc Lopez.
While he said he’s feeling better day by day, Nadal also acknowledged “the wrist still bothers me a little bit.”