ジョコビッチ、負傷棄権で全米ＯＰ連覇ならずも「人生は続く」

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】全米オープンテニスは1日、男子シングルス4回戦が行われ、大会第1シードのノバク・ジョコビッチ（セルビア）は、第23シードのスタン・ワウリンカ（スイス）との試合を4─6、5─7、1─2となったところで肩の負傷により途中棄権し、大会連覇の夢が絶たれた。それでもジョコビッチは、「人生は続く」と前を向いた。（写真はノバク・ジョコビッチ）
　ワウリンカ対ジョコビッチという、３年前の２０１６年大会決勝以来の顔合わせとなったカードは、左肩を痛めているジョコビッチの負傷棄権により、３年前の王者ワウリンカが勝ち上がった。ジョコビッチは第３セット開始時に治療を受けたが好転せず、すぐに四大大会（グランドスラム）通算６回目の棄権を決断した。
　大会が開幕した当初から左肩に問題を抱えていたジョコビッチは、「痛みは何週間か続いていた。激しく痛む日もあれば、それほどでもない日もあり、もちろん即効性のある手段はいろいろ試した」「それが効くときもあれば、そうでないときもある。こういうものは、そのときになると直感的に分かるものなんだ。もうこれ以上ボールは打てないとね」とコメントした。
　けがの性質については「僕は棄権して、左肩だと話した。これ以上言えることは何もない」「けがの話はあまりしたくない。前に話した通りだと思ってもらえれば」と詳しいことは明かしていない。痛みはファン・イグナシオ・ロンデロ（アルゼンチン）との２回戦では強く、ストレート勝利を飾ったデニス・クドラ（米国）との３回戦は「ほぼ痛みなくプレーできた」が、この日は痛みがぶり返した。
　「フラストレーションがたまるよ。本当にね。もちろん、スポーツのビッグイベントをけがで棄権するのは僕だけじゃない」「それでもコートを去るしかなかったのはつらい」「残念な状況の真っただ中にいるのは確かだが、この苦しい結果を受け入れるしかない。それに言った通り、これは僕に限った話じゃない。人生は続く」
　膝にメスを入れた対戦相手のワウリンカも、グランドスラムを制した頃の姿を取り戻すのに２年近くを要している。それでも８強入りした今季の全仏オープンテニス、そして今大会の内容を見る限り、完全復活は間近のようだ。
　ワウリンカ本人も「今夜はなんだか特別だった。自分のレベルにとても満足している」「素晴らしく良いテニスができていたと思う。戻って来られてうれしいよ」と手応えを口にしている。
　「手術以降は本当に苦しかった。このレベルへ戻すのに２年かかった。本当に信じられない気持ちだ」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/09/03-08:58）

Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic said life goes on after a shoulder injury forced him to quit Sunday's clash with Stan Wawrinka in the last 16 of the US Open.
Wawrinka, the 23rd seed and 2016 champion, led Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 2-1 when the Serb quit with a nagging left shoulder problem that had troubled him since the start of the tournament.
The pain was constant for weeks now. Some days higher, some days with less intensity and obviously taking different stuff to kill the pain instantly, Djokovic said.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. You just know when you know, I guess, when you feel like you're not able to hit the shot anymore.
Djokovic refused to expand on the nature of his injury, which had caused him considerable pain during a second-round win over Juan Ignacio Londero.
I retired and I told you it's left shoulder. I have nothing more to talk about, he said.
I don't want to talk about my injuries. I said that in the past. I'm sticking to that.
Djokovic had claimed he felt almost pain-free following a straight-sets defeat of Denis Kudla in round three, but the problem resurfaced against Wawrinka in the first meeting between the pair since the final here three years ago.
The world number one received treatment before the start of the third set against Wawrinka but soon threw in the towel, the sixth time he has retired at a Grand Slam tournament.
It is frustrating. Very frustrating. Obviously not the first, not the last player to get injured and to withdraw from one of the biggest events in sport, he said. But obviously I just came off the court, so of course it hurts.
Obviously I'm in the midst of unfortunate situation, and I have to, you know, suffer the consequences of that. And as I said, I'm not the first nor the last one. Life goes on.
- 'Long road ahead' -
But Djokovic, winner of four of the past five Slam events and 16 overall, remained bullish about his chances of eventually catching and surpassing long-time rival Roger Federer, who holds the men's record of 20 major titles.
It's no secret that I have of course desire and a goal to reach the most Slams and reach Roger's record, Djokovic said.
But at the same time, it's a long road ahead hopefully for me I hope I can play for many more years. I'm planning to. I don't see an end behind the corner at all.
Now it's a matter of keeping my body and mind in shape and trying to still peak at these kind of events that are majors and that are the most significant in our sport.
It marked just the second time in the past decade Djokovic had pulled out of a Grand Slam match, having last retired during a 2017 Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych with an elbow injury.
That setback prompted him to shut it down for the remainder of the season and led to questions about his future. His spectacular return to form 12 months later silenced those concerns, and he is hopeful of a swift recovery.
This season is not yet over, he said, reflecting on a year in which he added another Australian Open and Wimbledon title to his collection.
Obviously Grand Slam season is done for me. I mean, I won two Slams out of four and played semis in French. I had a really good Grand Slam season. I cannot complain, not at all.
There is plenty of big tournaments ahead. Rankings-wise, plenty of points to defend for me and try to withhold that ranking of number one.
I just hope I'll get a chance to be competing, because once I'm healthy I actually like my chances playing in Asia. And also indoor season, I play historically pretty well in those last couple months of the year.