Osaka, Djokovic and more experiencing aches and pains in tour return

There will be plenty of physical challenges for players at the US Open, especially for those coming in off a long break or a tiring week in Cincinnati. It's the first Grand Slam event since play was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, and safety protocols have changed a lot on site.

Team numbers are limited, while training facilities are organized differently. And there's more, as No. 4 seed and 2018 champion Naomi Osaka found.

"Physio rooms on-site, they don't have ice baths. So I feel like it's something that I have to adjust to," she said. "I mean, everyone has to deal with the same circumstances, so I can't really say much about it. But it definitely is a little bit of a hindrance."

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Osaka, who experienced a hamstring injury during the Cincinnati event, notes that competitive play is different from practice.

"I think that everyone's probably harboring an injury, a small injury at this point, and everyone is super tired, the ones that did play the Cincinnati tournament," she said. "I think it's different just because your nerves are up so muscles are constantly clenched or something like that."

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic also had neck problems while winning the men's title at Cincinnati.

"The good thing about a Slam is that you only play every two days, so you have at least one day of rest and recovery," he said. "I’m going to try to use that as much as I can."

But competing in these conditions is the way players will get back in shape, said Daniil Medvedev. The Russian, who reached the final of Montreal, won Cincinnati and then reached the final of the 2019 US Open, just reached found even the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati event, which was played in Flushing Meadows. But even that was tough for his first event back.

"Physically I don't feel at my best so far, but it's good that I had the chance to play three matches...my muscles are going to learn from it," he said. "They are going to remember what it is to play these tough matches"

Fitness could be one of the big differences for the field at this event, adds Medvedev.

"So there are, for sure, going to be players who's going to play a five-hour match and be ready to play even the next day," he said. "So I'm actually really interested to see, and I do think that still a lot of players are going to have problems and we're going to see a lot of withdrawals."