US Open: Novak Djokovic Retires Against Stan Wawrinka

A shoulder injury has forced world no. 1 Novak Djokovic to withdraw from the U.S Open during the fourth round match against Stan Wawrinka on Sunday. 

Wawrinka had taken an early break in the third set to lead by 2-1, when the top seed walked off the court before the crowd which had been booing him. Actually, his retirement was not an offshoot of the inappropriate response from spectators, but one that has plagued him for a period now and resurfaced in the second round match against Juan Ignacio Londero. 

The defending champion struggled with pains from the injury before leaving the court after doubling faulting in the third set whilst he was two sets down by 4-6, 5-7, 1-2. 

As a result, he gifted Wawrinka his sixth victory in 25th ATP FedEx meetings. The pair last met in the final match of the US Open in 2016 and the Swiss player won in four sets for his first-ever title in Flushing Meadows. 

Speaking after the match, the two-time champion refused to criticize the US fans for their attitude towards him but simply said he was "sorry for the crowd" because the match they came to see, unfortunately "wasn't to be". 

In July, Djokovic won the Wimbledon in a dramatic final by saving a breakpoint against Roger Federer, who needed just a match point to wrap up the victory. The Swiss player was left stunned by the way the world no. 1 rallied to win the prestigious title. 

He added on pulling out of US Open, "It is very frustrating. Of Course, it hurts that I had to retire. Some days the pain has been higher, some days with less intensity. Obviously, I was taking different stuff to kill the pain instantly."