Novak Djokovic’s US Open came to a disappointing end on Sunday as the top seed and defending champion was forced to retire during his fourth-round match against Stan Wawrinka. Although his left shoulder injury forced him out of New York, the World No. 1 is already looking towards his next scheduled ATP Tour event.

The Serbian plans to be back in four weeks at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships before defending his title at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Djokovic is looking to tie Pete Sampras’ record of six year-end No. 1 finishes, but will need more wins in order to have a chance at that goal.

Rafael Nadal currently leads Djokovic by 140 points in the ATP Race to London and will further widen the gap if he reaches at least the quarter-finals in New York. Roger Federer would trail Djokovic by a mere 75 points if he takes the title this fortnight.

“This season is not yet over. There are plenty of big tournaments ahead,” Djokovic said. “[ATP] Rankings-wise, plenty of [ATP Rankings] points to defend for me and try to withhold that No. 1 ranking. Obviously Rafa has been playing well and Roger and the other guys. 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 the indoor season. I historically play pretty well in those last couple of months of the year.” 

But one thing he will have to wait for is a chance to add to his Grand Slam tally. Djokovic has 16 Grand Slam singles trophies, with only Nadal (18) and Federer (20) ahead in the all-time leaders list, but he closed the gap with his Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns this year.

“It’s no secret that I have [a] desire and a goal to reach the most Grand 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.”

Read More: Is Djokovic Chasing Federer’s Slam Record? You Betcha!

Djokovic admitted he’ll first need some time to brush off the disappointment of being unable to defend his US Open crown. He hasn’t retired from a tour-level match since his 2017 Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych. Although injuries at inopportune moments are part of sports, it doesn’t make them any more palatable for the World No. 1.

“It is frustrating. Very frustrating,” Djokovic said. “[I’m] not the first, not the last player to get injured and to withdraw from one of the biggest events in sport. But obviously I just came off the court, so of course it hurts.”

Daniil Medvedev downplayed talk of him being a favourite at this year’s US Open. The World No. 5, who beat Novak Djokovic en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati last month, said he hadn’t even reached a major quarter-final yet.

But the let chatter begin in earnest now. The fifth-seeded Russian reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final on Sunday, beating German qualifier Dominik Koepfer 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(2) to setup another potential matchup with the World No. 1 from Serbia.

Medvedev will face the winner of Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, and 2016 titlist Stan Wawrinka, who face off later Sunday evening in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev 3-2, including a four-set win earlier this year at the Australian Open. But Medvedev has won their past two meetings, on clay at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April and on 17 August at the Western & Southern Open.

The Russian rebounded from a slow start as the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd cheered on the underdog Koepfer, who was steadier than Medvedev from the baseline in the opener.

The 25-year-old German had been having the tournament of his life. Before the US Open, Koepfer had only one Grand Slam win to his name (Wimbledon 2019) and he was trying to become the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarter-finals in 11 years (Gilles Muller, 2008).

“It was a goal to qualify. I didn’t expect to go into the fourth round,” Koepfer said.

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But the German was playing in his seventh match of the past two weeks, and as the fourth-round tilt wore on, the rallies he was taking in the opening set increasingly went to Medvedev, who, only two weeks ago, proved steadier than Djokovic from the back of the court. The Russian used angles to keep Koepfer on the move and dug his way out of trouble on serve, often going big – 121 mph – on his second serve.

Koepfer, behind chants of “Let’s go, Koep-fer!”, looked to mount one more rally in the fourth set, but Medvedev shut down any opening the German saw. The fifth seed broke back in the third game and at 1-2, down 0/40 on serve, Medvedev won five straight points.

A shaky start – a double fault and a wild forehand – set Koefper back in the tie-break, and Medvedev didn’t give anything away.

Grigor Dimitrov isn’t shy to admit that his 2019 hasn’t gone as planned, but he was rewarded for his persistence on Sunday at the US Open. The Bulgarian reached his first quarter-final in New York by producing one of his best performances of the season, scoring the lone break in each set to defeat #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

“There’s not much to say other than that I’m pleased to be back on a court, pain-free and feeling really good,” Dimitrov said in his on-court interview. “I’ve put a lot miles in my legs [and] a lot of practice.”

After a solid start to the year in Australia, Dimitrov missed two months with a right shoulder injury and struggled when he returned. He arrived in New York with a 7-13 record since the Australian Open and hadn’t reached a tour-level quarter-final since January. His performance against De Minaur appears to be a sign that the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion has turned a corner and is moving back to the form that saw him peak at No. 3 in the ATP Rankings. 

The Bulgarian won’t be savouring his breakthrough moment as he turns his attention to a quarter-final showdown with third seed and five-time champion Roger Federer. Dimitrov is winless (0-7) in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the two sets he’s taken off Federer came on hard courts.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Dimitrov said. It’s my first time in the quarter-finals here of the US Open, so I’m going to make the most of it. This is what I practice for, to play these matches.”

Dimitrov never looked back after grabbing the first break of the match at 5-6 in the opening set. The 28-year-old didn’t drop serve against De Minaur and only faced one break point, but also made life difficult for the Aussie in his return games, striking his one-handed backhand to perfection and ripping forehand winners from all parts of the court. He raised his arms in triumph when De Minaur sent a forehand long after two hours and five minutes. 

De Minaur showed his trademark fighting spirit throughout the match, but wasn’t able to bring his best tennis and finished the day with 43 unforced errors. However, the 20-year-old can be pleased with his efforts in New York. He beat sixth seed Kei Nishikori on Friday for his first Top 10 win and maiden appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

It’s been three years since Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka faced off in the 2016 US Open final, which saw Wawrinka prevail for his third Grand Slam crown. The top-seeded Serbian and No. 23 seed from Switzerland take to Arthur Ashe Stadium once again for an epic fourth-round showdown on Sunday.

Defending champion Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 19-5, but Wawrinka’s three most recent victories against him have come in Grand Slams. The Swiss also defeated Djokovic in the 2015 Australian Open quarter-finals and 2015 Roland Garros final, consistently finding a way to raise his level against the World No. 1 in major matches.

“I was full of confidence. I was playing well, moving well, at the top of my game. For sure I could only play the best tennis when it’s the final,” Wawrinka recalled of his US Open triumph. “There’s something with him that when I get into my best game, I know that it’s going to have some big rally. I’m going to play good tennis.”

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?#USOpen

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) September 1, 2019

However, their careers have taken markedly different turns since their most recent clash in New York. Although they each missed the last four months of the 2017 season due to injury, Djokovic would go on to add another four Grand Slam titles to his tally, while Wawrinka’s comeback has yielded just one tour-level final this February in Rotterdam (l. to Monfils). But despite being the on-paper favourite, Djokovic’s past history with Wawrinka in Grand Slams means he won’t be taking the battle lightly.

”We had some great battles over the years everywhere, but particularly here. I lost to him the last time we played on this court,” Djokovic said. “He’s someone that possesses a game with a lot of power and quality. He’s a great guy. We practice together a lot, so may the best man win.”

Third-seeded Swiss Roger Federer kicks off the day session against No. 15 seed David Goffin of Belgium. The five-time US Open champion leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 8-1, including a win this June in the championship match in Halle. Federer is rounding into top form this week, dropping just five games in a dominant third-round victory over Brit Daniel Evans. The World No. 3 in the ATP Rankings looks to shed the demons of his fourth-round exit last year to Aussie John Millman and inch closer to his first title in New York since 2008.

Meanwhile, Goffin is enjoying a career resurgence over the past two months, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals and his first ATP Masters 1000 final last month in Cincinnati (l. to Medvedev). His tenacious and reliable brand of tennis has yielded plenty of wins over top players, particularly when they’re not at their best. If Federer gets off to the slow starts that he displayed in his first two rounds this week, the Belgian will be sure to take advantage.

Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev meets German qualifier Dominik Koepfer, who had just two tour-level wins to his name prior to this week. Medvedev is arguably the most in-form player on tour at the moment, fresh off his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (d. Goffin) and holding a 17-2 record since the end of the grass-court season. But the 23-year-old will have added pressure against Koepfer as he looks to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

“As everybody says, before the tournament I was one of the favourites. Probably unconsciously I was looking in the second week, at the draw,” he said. “I’m trying to convince myself to look at match by match.”

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur face off for a pivotal moment in both of their careers. Dimitrov seeks his first quarter-final in New York, while De Minaur looks to build on what is already his best Grand Slam result. The 20-year-old Aussie has excelled on hard courts this season, lifting his first two ATP Tour titles in Sydney (d. Seppi) and Winston-Salem (d. Fritz). Dimitrov has endured a difficult season by his lofty standards, but the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion is capable of beating anyone when he’s at his best.

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, 1 September 2019

Arthur Ashe Stadium start 12:00
[3] Roger Federer vs [15] David Goffin
WTA match

NB 7:00 pm
WTA match
[1] Novak Djokovic vs [23] Stan Wawrinka

Louis Armstrong Stadium start 11:00
Three WTA matches

NB 5:00 pm
[5] Daniil Medvedev vs [Q] Dominik Koepfer

Grandstand start 11:00
WTA match
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex de Minaur
WTA match
[8] Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos vs [10] Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury

Court No. 17 start 11:00
[12] Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies vs Marcelo Arevalo/Jonny O’Mara
WTA match
[16] Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzer vs Marius Copil/Nick Kyrgios
[2] Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo vs Leonardo Mayer/Joao Sousa
WTA match

Court No. 17 NB 1:00pm
Two WTA matches
[13] Robin Haase/Wesley Koolhof vs Pablo Carreno Busta/Feliciano Lopez
Mixed doubles match