Top seeds Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic aren’t at their best

But it’s her experience and mental toughness of never relenting that’s earned Williams a reputation as one of the best athletes of all time.

The left-handed Spaniard said Friday that now “I can start to hit my normal forehand”, but it will take time to regain full confidence in the shot.

Djokovic was a first-round casualty in Rio, falling to 2009 U.S. Open victor Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who appears to be reestablishing himself after a long recovery from a wrist injury. “Hopefully on Monday, when it all starts, I will be there”, said the top seed and defending champion. “I embrace it and I love that I have an opportunity to do it because a lot of people don’t”, she said to The Guardian.

“Well, I am better”.

It wasn’t a physical problem that burdened Djokovic during his third-round Wimbledon loss to 41st-ranked Sam Querrey, he acknowledged.

“At this point, I’m taking it a day at a time”, Williams said. “It was some other things that I was going through privately”. He declined to elaborate on those problems other than to say they had been resolved. “I’ve just got to do the best I can”. After winning her first Grand Slam trophy, Pennetta announced she would retire at the end of the season.

When Nadal first came back from the injury, he had to adjust his technique to avoid pain.

“But then I have to, like, remind myself that: ‘You are Serena Williams!’ You know?”

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic faces 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz in the first round of the U.S. Open. So while the stakes are different than they were at Flushing Meadows in 2015, Williams does have something significant to play for yet again. In women’s singles, Serena Williams will open against Ekaterina Makarova, who made it to the semis of 2014 US Open.

Doing an interview shortly after the draw was set, Djokovic joked he wasn’t “mentally ready” to see his bracket quite yet and wanted to wait until “I’m alone”.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the US Open final previous year, would face a tough time as he has been forced to pull out of the remaining season to recover fully from his knee injury.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and fellow two-time champion Rafael Nadal were drawn for a potential US Open semifinal clash on Friday.

Second seed Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, starts against Slovenia’s Polona Hercog.

Next year, Williams may have even more happening in her life, which makes her laser-focus on the court even more incredible.

Andy Murray will begin his quest for a second US Open title against Czech Lukas Rosol in the first round.

Although he then won a record 30th Masters trophy in Toronto, a shock first-round defeat at the Olympics to Juan Martin del Potro and a withdrawal from Cincinnati with a wrist injury suggested all is not well with the 2011 and 2015 US Open victor. But the 19th-seeded Johnson could face the Olympic silver medalist in the second round. Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1 player may still be the favorite on paper, but he has shown signs of vulnerability. losing at Wimbledon and in the first round of the Olympics.