Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal eye US Open third round spots as stars take centre stage

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and fellow two-time winner Rafael Nadal take centre stage on the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday looking to seal third round spots.

World number one Djokovic, who needed treatment on a right upper arm injury during his laboured four-set win over Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz on Monday, faces Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic.

Vesely inflicted a rare defeat on the Serb when he triumphed on clay at Monte Carlo in April.

“Different surface, different circumstances, best-of-five. But still, Vesely deserves respect,” said Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 champion in New York and looking for a third major of the year.

“He has a big game, big serve, big forehand, and moves well for his size. So let’s see. Conditions are quite suitable to my style of the game. Hopefully I’ll be able to slow his serve down a little bit and then take it from there.”