NEW YORK, Aug 28 (Reuters) – World number 10 Alex de Minaur has low expectations at the US Open due to a hip injury and may not be fit for his second-round match against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen.
The Australian withdrew from his Wimbledon quarter-final against Novak Djokovic last month due to torn cartilage in his hip and subsequently missed the Paris Olympics.
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He fought back in his first-round match at Flushing Meadows, beating local player Marcus Giron in four sets, but is unsure of returning to the court on Thursday, Australian media reported, citing De Minaur’s camp.
De Minaur suffered a slight knock in training on Wednesday but said he struggled to change his game to protect his injury.
“It’s super hard. I mean, for me, the whole concept of not trying to catch every ball that’s on the court, it’s hard,” the 25-year-old told Australian media.
“I was raised on going out there and trying to get every ball.
“So when you have to perform in a certain way to take care of yourself, that’s also quite difficult.
“All of a sudden I have to think a lot more than usual, and that makes things a lot more difficult.
“So I’m learning to deal with it, play with it, have low expectations and be aware of it because it’s always there.”
De Minaur was aware that his dismissal after Wimbledon had cost him ranking points in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin in November, where he is desperate to qualify for the first time.
“The goal, obviously, is Turin, and missing a lot of tour weeks, a lot of big tournaments, is very detrimental to your chances of reaching Turin,” he said.
“Because these are big points on offer and big events.
“So I wanted to make sure I came back as quickly as possible but at the same time, knowing that I’m not 100%, it’s not easy.
Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford
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