Novak Djokovic confirmed he is experiencing some discomfort in his right arm after he battled through three sets to defeat Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the Rome Masters second round yesterday.
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The world No1 extended his winning streak to 18 matches as he searches for a fourth title in the Italian capital.
But despite his impressive record at the Foro Italico, Djokovic’s title defence got off to a rocky start as he needed two hours to outlast Almagro 6-1. 6-7 (5), 6-3 and book a third round date with Thomaz Bellucci or Roberto Bautista Agut.
Djokovic squandered a 5-2 lead in the second set tiebreak, allowing Almagro to get back into the match but a decisive break in the eighth game of the third set sealed the victory for the Serbian top seed.
The 28-year-old later explained he has picked up a niggle in his right arm. “It has been bothering me last couple of days,” said Djokovic, according to reporters on-site. “But it’s not worrying me.”
Time to unwind…taking in the beauty of Roma #Serenità pic.twitter.com/8Xvsjbzg9N
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 12, 2015
Meanwhile, world No7 Rafael Nadal insists he is not considering changing his coach Toni Nadal, despite his recent dip in the rankings that resulted from a few surprise defeats.
“If things are not going well it’s because I am not playing well. Not because of the coach,” Nadal told reporters in Rome yesterday, two days after losing the Madrid final to Andy Murray.
“No (I would never fire my uncle). It’s not only my decision,” he said.
“That’s a decision of two people, not only one. Don’t forget that Toni is more my uncle than my coach. If in any moment of my career I change some member of my team, it will not be because I am losing or winning.
“It will be because there is not enough motivation for one another.
“Obviously today I’m not as good as I (was). Life has been fantastic with me. Today I’m not winning as much as I did in the past. Life continues.”
The Spaniard opens his Rome account against Turkey’s Marsel Ilham today, hoping to avoid another hit to his Roland Garros seeding.
Earlier in the day, world No9 Stan Wawrinka enjoyed a narrow escape as he came back from a set and a break down to overcome Argentina’s Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.
The Swiss No2 has been struggling this clay swing, losing to Grigor Dimitrov in both Monte Carlo and Madrid in the third round, and is in desperate need of some match wins to prepare for Roland Garros, which is less than two weeks away.
Congrats to Stan for fighting through in Rome yesterday. Good luck in the next round #stantheman pic.twitter.com/PRMdyzAEgv
— Good to Great Tennis (@GTGAcademy) May 13, 2015
“For me, it’s never easy when I get into a tournament,” Wawrinka said.
“Juan is a tough player to play, especially on clay. I’m happy to get through. The most important thing is to win matches.”
Reigning US Open champion, world No10 Marin Cilic was not as lucky as he stumbled to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.
Cilic has managed to win back-to-back matches just once in five events since returning from a shoulder injury in March.
