NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was cruising along with a big early lead in his U.S. Open fourth-round match on Sunday night when his neck started bothering him.

Djokovic was ahead of 144th-ranked qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 4-0, 15-love when he hit a nicely angled volley winner to go up 30-love in that game. The 24-time Grand Slam champion immediately grabbed at the back of his neck and started turning his head.

Djokovic kept trying to stretch his neck or flex his right shoulder between points, and he went on to drop that game and the next one, too.

But he soon regained the upper hand against Struff, who beat Frances Tiafoe in the previous round and was trying to get to a major quarterfinal for the first time.

The winner of Djokovic vs. Struff will take on 2024 U.S. Open runner-u

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